Outside of One Tree Hill
by ostensible
Summary: Joie Lenz is an aspiring actress in the teen drama, One Tree Hill. James Lafferty plays her character's love interest. What happens when their lives collide outside of One Tree Hill? NH
1. First Time for Everything

**freelancer starbuck:** wow, it's hard to believe you got 170 reviews on this story. i barely got through the first chapter, and that's saying something. i honestly believe that you're trying, and maybe later chapters are better, but oh my god, this story is terrible. and you can tell i mean it, because i'm submitting a SIGNED review. try getting a beta, maybe a spell check program, and work on your grammar a bit.

also, just so you know, this story totally breaks rules. you're not supposed to write about the actors; it's disrespectful to their privacy, and tends to start rumors that create problems for them. if you really like these guys, then you should realize that from now on. you're lucky that no one has reported you; i sure won't, because i don't rat on my fellow writers, but you're messing things up for everyone. the reason that ff writers get sued is when they start problems.

So, this is my reply for **freelancer starbuck** and anyone else who agrees.

Just a reminder because _some_ people might actually take my story seriously, **_Outside of One Tree Hill_ is purely fictional**, along with everything else written on this website. From what I saw, my story is not against the Terms of Service. I could not find in those guidelines that you cannot write a story about an actor or actress. As for my grammar and spelling, I am well aware that I'm not the best. But I don't believe this story is **terrible** and that I received all these comments from the readers because they enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Although I welcome critique and constructive criticism, your comments were not. I don't understand how **I'm supposedly messing things up for everyone**. There's a reason that what we write is called Fan **Fiction**.

The majority of the readers seem to like this story. I'm not creating problems for the actors of _One Tree Hill_; you're instigating that I am. So, don't take it so seriously. I hope you other readers aren't taking my writing to heart as well. It's all fictional and came from my imagination as well as the show, itself.

* * *

"Good morning!" Joie exclaimed as she made her way into her personal trailer.

It was the first day at her new job, filming for a brand new television series, 'One Tree Hill'. She was more than excited, having been out of work and away from the entertainment industry for too long.

Several young ladies equipped with an extensive amount of hair styling tools and large cups of coffee replied with weak smiles. Creases formed underneath their eyes from obvious exhaustion.

As the styling crew began to handle her thick mane of natural waves, she unfolded her first script for her first scene, from her tote bag.

Before glancing down at her script she thought to herself as she faced the mirror,

'My name is Haley. Haley James.'

Running her eyes across the page she suppressed a giggle while saying to herself,

"Perfect, the girl rambles; something I won't have to _act_ out as much,"

--

As she made her way onto the set, she admired the coziness of the scenery that resembled the interior of a low-key café. Her first scene was with Ms. Moira Kelly and Chad-Michael Murray. She couldn't get over the fact that he was referred to as 'Chad-Michael Murray' instead of 'Chad Murray'—too funny. The other two actors stepped into view, admiring the scenery as well. They both seemed poised with confidence and calm, unlike Joie and her first-day jitterbugs.

"Good morning… Bethany, is it?" Moira asked with a pleasant grin.

"It is, but everyone calls me Joie. How are you two doing? Besides the fact that it is 4 in the morning,"

"Tired," Chad replied with a lazy smile.

--

Joie remembered meeting him and initially thinking how handsome he was. But the blonde hair-bit was not her type. Ironically, she discovered her character's love interest, Nathan Scott, would be played by a dark haired gentleman by the name of James Lafferty. All the actors and actresses had been called in before the actual filming process began to be congratulated and to mingle with their fellow costars. The actors were aware of the roles and relationships that followed so when Joie had seen James step forth after the announcer had called out Nathan Scott, she couldn't help but to smile agreeably at the decision of who would play her future "lover boy". His striking baby blue eyes and chiseled features had definitely caught her attention but she winced when she found out that she was older by a 'mere' four years!

Everyone else had appeared to be beautiful people with glamorous personalities. Although it was definitely not Joie's first time acting, she was excited to have one of the starring roles in what could be either a popular teen drama, or something that no one had ever heard of. She shuddered at the thought.

"Bethany?" Her mindless wandering was interrupted by a deep, male voice.

She turned to face James who had approached her from behind. She bravely stuck her hand out while tilting her chin upwards to make eye contact to speak,

"Sorry… I was kind of spaced out for a second. Um, you're James, right? Right. Yeah, I'm Bethany, but you can call me Joie. Well, since everyone else calls me Joie. If you didn't know already, I'll be playing 'your' Haley. I mean, I didn't mean 'your' Haley, but Nathan's Haley. Do you know what I mean?"

He looked lost for a few seconds and simply replied,

"Yeah… I'm James."

They both paused before laughing hysterically at themselves.

"I'm sorry, James, I'm always that way when I'm meeting someone for the first time. Hope I didn't scare you, much less creep you out."

"No, it's okay. I just didn't think anybody else would be nervous, at all, especially compared to me. Being the youngest one here and all… you know, I just want to get along with everyone."

Joie's jaw dropped slightly, remembering his age and realizing the idiocy of her nervousness towards him. But she gave him a reassuring smile and answered,

"Don't be nervous! Trust me; you'll get along with everyone. That has to be the benefit of being the youngest around here. No one can get mad at the 'baby'. And even if some people still have a problem with you, you're already getting along with me."

She gave him a wink and a playful punch on his arm before stepping away to use the ladies' room.

--

James watched as his petite new friend sauntered away and stood considering whether to be upset with the term 'baby' or forget about it due to the fact that she'd been nice. He couldn't help smirking at the cuteness in her rambling and having referred to herself as 'his Haley'. He noticed her chestnut-brown hair that came to her mid-back that seemed as bouncy and free as she was. Her eyes were equally brown with glints of gold that he failed to see at first but when she had laughed he caught glimpses of them. And when Joie's back was turned to him while leaving, he had enjoyed the view of her round little ass swaying side to side.

'Won't be too hard _acting_ like I like her,' He laughed to himself.

Although Joie's easy-going conversation with him had relaxed him a bit, he still felt uptight and self-conscious to his surroundings. He had left everyone he knew in California and ended up in North Carolina with a completely different environment and unfamiliar people. Knowing quite well how his personal time would be consumed with his new job, he missed his friends and family. It was a decision that he had made not as a teenager, but now as a young man.


	2. Getting Aquainted

The first day of shooting had gone pretty smoothly. A few of the scenes had been filmed outside, including a night scene which was finished late that evening, several hours before midnight.

Joie had decided to take advantage of the shuttle service provided to get herself home to her apartment. She was beat. Her hair had to have about 20 different styling products in it and she could barely keep her eyes open. Sitting up front in an 11-seater shuttle bus, directly behind the driver's seat, she leaned her head up against the window. She had her headphones on while humming along to the songs, avoiding confrontation with others, only because she was so exhausted. As she reached her stop, she realized that everyone else had already gotten off and she had been the last one out. She stepped off the bus and took a quick look around the dark streets before she headed towards her apartment. As she strode towards the complex, she felt the presence of someone behind her.

She turned down her mp3 player slightly to adjust to the silence that floated between her and that other person. She heard the person's footsteps pounding a little harder into the cement than hers, meaning that they were advancing towards her. She panicked, fearing that her stalker might be able to hear her thumping heartbeat that suddenly increased. She sped up and took longer strides but kept a walking pace as not to let him think that she was aware of him there. Keeping her head faced forward, her eyes searched for any source of light, another person, maybe a car; no such luck. Joie stuck her hands in her large purse, feeling around for something to throw at or hit her stalker with. Luckily she remembered one of her mother's life lessons.

"_Joie, I'm going to teach you a trick to use when you're alone at night and some jackass tries to touch you in any sort of way. What you do is, hold onto your key ring, making a fist, and in between every knuckle, stick every single key you got. When that sucker gets close enough… BAM!"_

"_Mom, what if I don't hit him hard enough or I miss?"_

"_Punch, crunch, twist, and pull,"_

"_Punch, crunch, twist, and pull what? Hey, wait a second… ew!"_

A tear came rolling down her cheek and she wished her mother was there to help her out. She continued shuffling into her purse for her keys but before she could even get to them, her follower came up behind and had a masculine hand on her left shoulder.

"Ahh!" She screamed with all her might.

"Bethany? Um, I mean, Joie?" A familiar voice questioned her.

Unclenching her eyes, she saw James standing before her with a puzzled and concerned expression on his face, his hand still resting on her shoulder.

Thanks to the darkness, James was unable to see Joie's cheeks redden with embarrassment while feeling a sudden release of breath that she had been holding for a while.

"James!" She thrust herself into his arms and buried her face in between the curve of where his chest and right shoulder met.

He stood there astonished and hesitantly placed his arms over and around her neck and shoulders that seemed so fragile. After standing there for a minute or so, rubbing her back, he noticed how sweet she appeared, wrapped up in his arms. Her face continued to hide deep in his sweater. He didn't mean to scare her on purpose; he just wasn't sure if it had been Joie or not. Feeling bad for what he'd done, he attempted to lighten the mood.

"You're not trying to hit on me are you? Haha…"

She immediately glanced up and pulled away, realizing how forward she had been. A frown appeared on her face and she spoke up,

"What? Me? I don't think so; I was definitely not hitting on you, jailbait. But you sure scared the hell out of me!"

The smile on his face vanished hearing her use the word _jailbait_. But a devilish smirk replaced it.

"Yeah, you did. You're a little hussy! Haha… and when I say 'little', I mean 'little',"

He laughed and saw her scoff at his remark. He began to walk away, leaving her there to contemplate his comment to her.

"Wait… James? Where are you going?" Joie asked softly this time, before looking around to notice that if he left, it would be just her.

"Why? You want to hang out with some of this jailbait?" He still had the same smirk plastered on his face.

"Ew! Fine, you know what?—Just forget it!"

Joie stomped her way into her apartment community with her nose in the air.

'Stupid kid,' she thought to herself.

As she headed to her building she turned to see that he was still behind her.

"Why are you following me? Is it fun to stalk people and scare the crap out of them?" She asked accusingly.

James grinned and replied, "I just thought I'd make up for it by walking you to your apartment,"

"Oh," she gave him back a blank stare, confused a bit herself.

As she walked slowly up three flights of stairs, a million thoughts ran inside her head,

'What if he wants to come inside? Wait, I don't have any couches or anything yet. He can't come inside! Did I leave anything out? Oh my gosh, I threw my panties on the floor this morning before I left! Is that why he's walking me to my apartment, so he can see my panties? He must have followed me on purpose out of the shuttle bus! He wants to get in my pants! Wait, did I shave?'

They walked in silence with him walking a couple of feet away behind her. As they reached her front door, she nervously stated,

"Well, um, we're here, number 303."

She turned to see him facing the other door, number 304.

"What are you doing? Wrong apartment," Joie stated matter-of-factly.

"Actually, this is the _right_ apartment—for me, anyway. I guess we're neighbors." James replied nonchalantly.

"Huh? Then you weren't really walking me…" She stopped speaking to save herself the embarrassment.

He unlocked his door and pushed it open. As he stood there halfway in and halfway out of his place, that same crooked smile emerged and he continued,

"You didn't think I'd walk all the way up here just to take you home, did you?"


	3. Playing His Game

Thank you, readers for your awesome comments and feedback! I appreciate just the fact that you guys are reading it. Enjoy!

* * *

Joie had left work with the feeling of pure accomplishment and as fatigued as she had been she now lay on her bed wide awake and completely flustered. The prank that James had pulled with her was just a lighthearted joke meant to tease her, but she felt aggravated. She couldn't put her finger on what it was that was bothering her so much.

"It was just a joke, Joie, chill out!" she scolded herself.

After lying down for five more minutes, she gave up on forcing sleep. She looked over at her alarm clock that blinked at her in red light, 11:21pm. She stood up from her bed and rubbed her eyes gently. Gathering her hair onto the top of her head she loosely tied a messy bun, slipped on her gray sweatpants with a matching zip-up hooded sweater and walked over to her kitchen. Filling a kettle with water, she turned on her stove to boil some water for some tea. She decided that the relaxing drink might calm her nerves before going back to bed.

--

With his elbows bent, James had his hands tucked underneath his head with eyes barely open. A few seconds passed and he released a deep sigh and let his eyes open right back up. He was having trouble sleeping, despite the long day that he'd had. He couldn't believe that Joie was his next door neighbor and at the same time, he didn't know whether to be happy about it or to not care about it. Why couldn't he just be complacent with it and nothing more? He tried to relate to his 'dilemma' as if his other costars were there in place of her such as Chad or Sophia. Sophia was playing the character of Brooke Davis. She had a fun role of playing an initially snobby cheerleader who turns good. He could tell that Chad and Sophia had already clicked though. And he was happy for them, noticing their constant flirting. Sophia was pretty, yeah sure. But, he didn't get that same uncomfortable and nervous feeling around her like he did with Joie. With Joie, he felt a continuous need or urge to impress. Whenever he had the chance to speak with her, he instead chose to flirt—just like Chad and Sophia; except Joie seemed to make sure not to flirt back.

When he had scared her earlier, seeing her face flush over was amazing. She probably thought that the darkness hid it from him but he noticed it as it started on the apple of her cheeks and continued all over. She glowed and it made his insides feel strange; not sickening strange but good strange. Feeling her bury herself into his chest triggered him to feel weak and defenseless but when he had taken in the fact that she was feeling the exact same way, he toughened up for her to feel safe in his arms.  
He stood up from his couch. He regretted not having furnished his place before filming sessions had started. Clad in only his navy blue basketball shorts and a wife-beater, he headed towards the door to his balcony. He needed some fresh air to clear his head.

As he stepped outside the cool night air relieved his muscles; he hadn't realized how tense he had been before. He stretched his arms up and out, glancing over to his left side where Joie's balcony was. He could see that one of her lights were on. He couldn't tell from where in the apartment it came from, but it made him chuckle as he thought to himself,

'She's probably afraid of the dark too,'

He got down on the wooden floor and began to do a set of pushups to drop his current thoughts.

He began to count out loud,

"One… two… three… four… five,"

Suddenly the girl that clouded his thoughts interrupted his concentration,

"Why are you doing pushups in the middle of the night?"

He reacted by standing up instantly to see Joie slowly rising from her seat on the floor of her very own balcony. Taken aback by her unexpected appearance he stumbled over his own words,

"I… I… uh, was uh, um… what… um… yeah,"

"Hahaha," Joie laughed in response to his adorable incoherent babble.

"Well, what are you doing drinking _coffee_ in the middle of the night?" he asked as if retaliating.

"Um, too bad it's tea," she answered and stuck her tongue out at him.

She had seen him flexing his muscles showing noticeably through his white wife-beater and secretively admired his broad chest and nicely cut arms before choosing to get back at him with his own game.

'He's so sexy, damn it!' she thought to herself bitterly.

James was doing the same as he scoped her body from head to toe. She looked even younger than she normally did with her hair pulled up the way she had it and it made her appear even cuter. Her sweatpants clung to her bottom and legs perfectly, hugging her every curve, as did her top to her upper body.

'Man, she's so sexy,' he considered with remorse. 'She just thinks I'm some dumb kid,'

--

The two had remained silent for a few brief minutes, looking away from each other and into the night sky clustered with stars. Joie broke the silence,

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't know why. Today was the first day and I should be burnt out by now," James replied quietly, hoping she wouldn't detect his real reasons for staying up.

"It happens. You know, like when you've had a long day before going on vacation or something and then, that night you're just too excited to sleep,"

"But, it's not like I'm _excited_ for another day of work,"

"I completely agree,"

This time James asked her a question to continue their conversation,

"Then, why are you up so late?"

Pausing momentarily to think of a fib to tell him, she then replied, "You,"

"Huh?" James was stunned by her answer and his mind went reeling.

'What is she talking about? Does Joie, the sophisticated I-don't-like-jailbait-girl, actually have a thing for me, jailbait? Can't be…'

Joie interrupted his thoughts once again,

"Earlier you scared me pretty good; I haven't been able to sleep since!"

A second ago, his stomach must have shot up to his throat leaving him speechless but after her second remark, he felt it drop back down where it belonged. Without trying to show any disappointment he teasingly stated,

"You're such a baby! Actually, you're not just a baby, but you're _the baby_. You have officially taken the title away from me,"

"Oh, is that so?" she mockingly returned.

She hoisted herself up onto the railing of her balcony and walked her way over the corner next to James' balcony. He stared at her in disbelief and instant concern.

"Get down from there, Joie!" he tried not to yell, afraid to disturb the neighbors.

She only smiled at him with those same sparkly eyes when she had laughed as she continued walking her path off of her balcony rail and onto his. When she stood in directly in front of him, she carefully sat herself on the edge, her back facing the three stories below her. James came next to her and placed his arm around her waist, speaking somewhat angrily,

"You're fucking reckless, you know that? Don't do that shit in front of me; just don't do that shit ever!"

Despite the surprise of his arm wrapping around her, she smirked at him making direct eye contact, with a seductive look in her eyes. He held his breath, completely shaken from her little stunt and now, being uneasy with her close proximity. She brought her face an inch or so away from his and turned her lips in the direction of his ear, whispering,

"What's wrong, _baby_? Did I scare you?"

He shut his eyes as she whispered her taunting questions, trying to control his instinctive tendencies as he felt her soft, warm breath tickling his ear.

She pulled away and watched his face flush over gradually with discomforting embarrassment. She gently took his hand away from her waist and stood back up to return to her balcony. As she stepped down from her railing she bent down to pick up her mug. James stood there watching her but wasn't even able to process the image of her bent over, still overwhelmed with what had just happened. Joie turned the knob to her door and before entering she turned back to her bewildered friend, gave him a wink and went inside.


	4. Ladies' Night In

Thanks again for all the comments regarding Chapter 3. I hope that you guys are enjoying my take on Joie's personality. This chapter is a little slower in story development, but it's important. Also, I really appreciate everyone's good feedback, but if you have any suggestions and/or complaints, feel free to express them to me.

* * *

James ripped open a red and white striped foil package. He pulled out a multi-colored plastic-beaded bracelet. Smiling up at Joie, he offered her the prize from his Cracker Jack box,

"It's for you,"

She frowned at him and simply stated in annoyance,

"Stop it."

"Come on," He tried to convince her to take it.

She let out a sigh and reluctantly stuck out her hand. He stretched the elastic to allow it to fit around her wrist. Still looking at her he pointed out to her,

"Don't say I never gave you anything."

"CUT!" The director yelled out.

James and Joie sat on a park bench with a table in between themselves. Although they were enjoying the warm sunshine and the glimmering lake nearby, it wasn't difficult to remember that they were working and not hanging out. When they were acting, it was different because cameras were recording every angle of the shot and scenes would be spliced into multiple acts that prevented them from feeling like they were holding any kind of 'real' conversation. Not to mention the many crew members that watched to make sure the scene was portrayed perfectly.

James watched as Joie fussed with the knitted poncho that was apart of Haley's wardrobe. He couldn't help but laugh because it seemed to fit her nicely but he knew she despised it.

"What are you laughing at!" she exclaimed pointing a finger at him.

"Your cute little poncho, that's what. You got a problem? What's up?" He waved his arms in the air, acting like he starting 'beef' with her or something.

"Ew, just stop," she looked at him in disgust.

He stuck his tongue out at her and she countered by biting at him, clamping her teeth down, threateningly.

Seeing her do that for the first time, he eyes widened in amusement,

"Feisty, much?"

Giving him a nonchalant look, she replied in a monotone voice, "Roar,"

They both continued teasing and poking fun at one another until everyone was ready to begin filming again.

--

Joie had been getting along with everyone and none of the actors or actresses had attacked each other yet so Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and she had decided to go out for dinner together. Sophia and Hilarie were beautiful and seemed to be total opposites, appearance-wise. Sophia had deep chocolate brown hair that she styled sleek and straight paired with a dark set of eyes. Whereas, Hilarie sported a curly frock of voluminous blonde curls and green eyes. But both were tall and slender that Joie was mildly jealous of. Only because she was the shortest of them all!

The threesome headed over to a seemingly overlooked pizza parlor to gratify their pizza cravings. As soon as they entered they realized their presumptions had been utterly wrong. Joie had never seen so many people shoved into one space. So they decided to make their meal 'to-go' and headed to Joie's apartment.

As the girls climbed the stairs up her apartment building they discussed the James-is-her-neighbor situation.

"That's so ironic that you and James moved in right across from each other. What are the chances? That is too weird." Hilarie shuddered at the quirkiness of fate in it all.

"Oh, come on it's not all that weird. At first I was like, 'Um, okay…' but then it's convenient, I guess." Joie replied hesitantly.

Hilarie and Sophia eyeballed each other with equally curious grins.

"Convenient, huh? How so?" Sophia chimed in, her eyebrows dancing at her friend's reply.

"Ew! You guys are so lame!" she fought back as they reached the third floor.

"But please do indulge us Joie, what exactly do you mean by the convenience of you and James being neighbors?" Hilarie asked mischieviously.

As she finished up her sentence, apartment number 304 opened up and there stood a dumbfounded James, perplexed by the sight all three girls.

"What's going on, ladies?" he asked them in an upbeat tone.

All three remained quiet thinking that James had overheard their conversation. And he noticed that the tiniest and cutest one of them all was blushing bright red.

"Did I say something wrong?" he questioned this time cautiously.

The girls looked at each other in relief, judging that by his behavior, he hadn't heard a thing. Hilarie began to open her mouth to speak before Joie clamped her hand over her friend's mouth smiling anxiously at James. Sophia rolled her eyes, grabbed the keys from Joie's free hand and unlocked the apartment door.

"Bye, James!" Sophia exclaimed and pulled the other two into the apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Hilarie looked uneasily at Joie and said softly,

"Sorry,"

Suddenly, the curly haired blonde was running away from her petite friend. As Joie chased her around the den, Hilarie was screaming apologies and laughing as she played 'keep-away'. Sophia stood there in amazement, laughing at the sight of the two of them.

--

James stood outside their door, not the least bit confused at what had just happened. He had a large smile slapped on his face. Before he had opened his front door to leave, he was sitting on the floor, tying the laces to his sneakers when he heard the three of them walking up the stairs in a boisterous manner.

_Joie: "Oh, come on it's not all that weird. At first I was like, 'Um, okay…' but then it's convenient, I guess."_

_Sophia: "Convenient, huh? How so?" _

Joie: "Ew! You guys are so lame!"

Hilarie: "But please do indulge us Joie, what exactly do you mean by the convenience of you and James being neighbors?"

That's when he had opened the door with intentions of frightening his female friends but acted as if he hadn't overheard any of their conversation, as noisy as they were earlier. Now he could hear Hilarie screaming, most likely dealing with the wrath of what is, Joie.

--

The girls had changed into their comfortable sleepwear, with Hilarie and Sophia sprawled on the floor a top of blankets and pillows.

"So, Sophia, what is going on with you and Chad?" Hilarie nudged her playfully.

"I'd watch it if I were you, first Joie and now me. But, let me warn you, I think I hit a little harder than Joie." She replied jokingly.

"I completely resent that statement," Joie called out from the kitchen.

She was fixing cranberry vodka's for the three of them. She came out with a tray as the two others sat up to receive their cocktails. Taking a sip from her glass, Sophia winced as she stated,

"Girlie, you sure you do like your vodka,"

Joie stuck her tongue out as she enjoyed her first sip as well.

"Okay Princess Sophie, you cannot ignore my question and leave it at that. I don't think I'm hallucinating when I say I see something going on between you and Chad," Hilarie complained.

"What's your point, Hilarie?" Sophia asked through gritted teeth.

"Aw, come on, just the slightest of details?" she batted her eyelashes at her brunette friend.

"Well if you must know…" she began before noticing Joie's sudden sullen disposition.

Joie had strayed from the conversation thinking about how the past few weeks had become difficult to avoid James. Especially because he was her neighbor, it was almost impossible.

"Earth to Joie!" Sophia waved her hands in front of her friend's face.

"Sorry, Sophia, go ahead about Chad,"

"Actually, we'd both like to hear about what's up with you. You were totally gone for a minute or so… what's on your mind, sunshine?" Sophia grinned genuinely.

"It's James…" Hesitantly, she started before being interrupted.

"Well, besides the obvious!" Hilarie blurted out.

Sophia shook her head at her blonde haired friend's words.

"Chill out, Goldilocks! Now, Joie, go on,"

"I think I'm going to need another drink," Joie replied looking at her empty glass.

--

After the girls had refilled their drinks, they sat down on her couch instead of the floor to continue their deep conversation.

"James is… well, James. I feel like we just click. He's sweet, funny, intelligent, and really mature for his age. He seems so dedicated to his work and at that age, I remember partying at school, getting trashed and barely being sober enough to remember my freshman year of college. I admire his character, really. Not to mention, the fact that he's so handsome! I get lost in those blue eyes and you guys know how I have a thing for dark-haired guys…" Joie looked towards her carpet, evading eye contact with her girlfriends.

This time, Hilarie's expression became serious as she lifted her friend's chin up to force eye contact,

"Joie, he sounds pretty deserving of some sort of affection from you, but you make it sound like it's all a bad thing. What's holding you back? His age?"

"Well, yeah! Sophia, you don't have to worry about anything because Chad is a year older than you. But do you know how awkward it is that I'm four years older? He's eighteen and I'm twenty-two. That is barely legal! He can't even drink yet! And I'm over here sipping on my old maid cocktails…"

"Whoa there," Sophia halted her friend's angst-ridden ramble. "First off, _we_ are so not drinking 'old maid cocktails' and second, he's eighteen, be thankful for that!"

"Yeah, and whatever happened to his maturity level, that you thought so highly of, eh?" Hilarie added.

"Ladies, in response to your statements…" Joie started then she simply polished off the rest of her cocktail.

She ran into the kitchen escaping their current discussion, and offered more to the others. The other two still sat on the couch staring at each other incredulously. But they shrugged their shoulders and joined their friend in the kitchen to help.

--

It was a half past one in the morning, and after 'Sixteen Candles' and several more glasses of cranberry vodkas, Joie was the only one awake, finishing off her sixth or seventh glass. She couldn't remember.


	5. The Wrath of Cranberry Vodkas

In the dark, James sat up on his futon, Xbox controller in his hand, playing a basketball video game. He paused the game, after making a winning free throw, and got up to get a glass of water. Passing by the microwave, he saw that it was 1:42am. He let out a sigh, trying to figure how time had passed by so quickly without his knowing. He stretched up his arms, having been playing video games for the past few hours, and a yawn escaped from his lips. He had constantly been having sleepless nights. Having Joie as his next-door neighbor was a mind-fuck. He could tell that she considered him below her standards, but he on the other hand, couldn't get her out of his head. As their characters developed on the show, he knew he would get his chances of holding her more often. Soon, they would begin kissing scenes as well, which he was way too excited for. It bugged him that he was not in control of his emotions when he simply wanted to focus on his work.

As he finished his glass of water, he heard a quiet tapping noise on his front door. He walked to the front and looked through the peephole, but it was completely dark. He opened the door to have a tipsy Joie fall right into his arms. She had been leaning up against his door.

"Oops, sorry!" she exclaimed staring right up at him.

"Joie, how much have you been drinking?" James asked with an upset look on his face.

Her eyes were glazed over and she watched his facial expressions as carefully as she could. She squinted to make sure she had seen what she thought she'd seen,

"Jamie, are you mad at me? Don't be mad at me. If you're mad at me… then… I'll be mad with you, okay? Okay! Don't you like me? I like you a lot…"

She ended her statement with a drunken smile.

James looked down at her, still hugging her in his strong arms, and saw the rosy color that flourished all over her body. The color seeped down her throat and was covered by a t-shirt. He wondered just how far down it went but stopped immediately.

"Joie, of course, I like you. But what are you doing here? It's almost 2 o'clock," he reassuringly said.

"Jamie, why are you looking at my boobies?" She flirtatiously inquired.

Stunned by her question, he decided it was best to let her rest on his couch. He helped her walk over, preventing her from stumbling several times, to his couch and let her sit down.

She let her head roll to the side as soon as she was resting on his sofa. Looking up at him she said,

"You know what, Jamie? You're my favorite person," she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

As she held him, he rejoiced in a blissful moment as she said those words but coming back to the realization of the state she was in, he grasped her hands gently and pulled himself out of her embrace. Still holding onto both of her hands he looked her in the eye,

"Joie, you're one of my favorite persons too but not like how you are right now. I don't want you to say or do anything that you might regret, okay? I'm going to take you back to your apartment,"

"I'm not a baby! And I said _you_ are my favorite person, _only you_! But you have other favorite people," she huffed at him.

He couldn't help but to chuckle under his breath while still gazing at her current condition.

"You're my most favorite one, okay?"

She beamed brightly and nodded reaffirming his remark.

James worried that she was alone at her place. Maybe that was why she had come over in the first place.

"Where are Hilarie and Sophia? Did they go home?"

She shook her head from side to side. Still beaming, she brought her face next to his and whispered close to his ear,

"I just wanted to see you,"

As she pulled away, his cheeks reddened in complexion. She noticed that he was still holding onto her hands, and she laced her fingers in between his which only shocked him even further. James stood, facing a sitting down Joie, hands entwined with each others' hands. Their eyes never pulled away from each other. He wanted to sit beside her and hold her close, but he dare not move, fearful of losing this moment. After several minutes of peaceful silence, James could not stand it any longer. He sat down next to her and held onto her tender hands, grasping tightly.

"Joie, I don't know what to say about anything that's happened tonight. And I'm not going to say anything, either. I don't know what you're meaning to say because well, you're just not sober. So, I'm going to take you back to your apartment and I think you just need a good night's sleep. Is that okay with you?"

With a small smirk, she shook her head from side to side and replied,

"I want to stay with you. Will you… will you just hold me, please?" she pleaded with soft brown eyes.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, gazing up at him. He melted as he felt her warmth when she snuggled up against him. He smelled the sweet fragrances of her with hints of vodka interrupting his senses. It reminded him that everything she was saying had the possibility of being a lie. But he continued to smile down at her. They released each other's hands as he brought his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to depend completely on his body for rest. It felt so right and so perfect to be holding her that way, protecting her from all outside disturbances. Even though she was four years older than he was, he felt like he would be the one to protect her, even from their age differences, to what everyone else thinks, and last but not least what she thought. He wanted to shield her from her own criticisms.

'If I like you, and you like me—that should be it. That should be enough.' He thought sadly.

As he watched her breathing softly, he brushed away stray hairs that had fallen onto her face and tucked them neatly behind her ear. She had fallen asleep already, and she did so with a hint of a smile across her face. To James, it was more so a smile of peacefulness than anything and she appeared so angelic. Occasionally her eyelashes fluttered briefly, possibly dreaming. Even in her sleep, Joie could seduce him. He wanted to plant a soft kiss on her smiling lips to feel them, he wanted her so badly. He held back his temptations and carefully held her up as he got up from the couch. He laid her back down and covered her with a comforter to keep her warm. He sat on the floor and folded his arms across. He laid his cheek into his arms, allowing him to watch her when slowly he too, fell asleep.

--

Joie opened her eyes, squinting to prevent the sun from leaking through too abruptly. She rubbed them to adjust her vision and as she looked around, she began to observe the unfamiliar environment. A single photographic poster of Michael Jordan hung on the wall, slightly tilted. She sat one of the few furnishings in the den and faced a television hooked up to a gaming console and tons of DVD's and games strewn across the floor.

'This isn't my apartment…' she thought to herself confusedly.

"Good morning!" James shouted from his kitchen.

Astonished at his presence, she immediately stood up and double checked her surroundings.

"What am I doing here?" she asked him conscientiously.

"Well, I was going to ask you the same thing," he replied with a knowing smirk.

Joie attempted to gather her thoughts from what had happened the previous night. She was having a difficult time remembering exactly what had happened. She remembered having a sleepover with Hilarie and Sophia, cranberry vodkas, 'Sixteen Candles', cranberry vodkas, pizza, and cranberry vodkas. She tried to connect last night's events to her ending up in James' apartment.

"What happened to Hilarie and Sophia?" she asked James as she tried to remember.

"Oh, I actually let them know you were here and so they just left like an hour ago. They wanted me to tell you, 'Don't be too convenient', whatever that means."

Knowing exactly what it meant, he turned to hide his laughter from her.

Her jaw dropped instantly and her face burned up redder than ever before.

'Bitches!' she screamed silently.

"I think I need some aspirin," she attempted to excuse herself from his place still not knowing how she had gotten there.

"There's some in the bathroom, behind the mirror; second right down the hall… I forgot, your apartment is the same as mine," he sheepishly grinned.

She hadn't realized he was making breakfast of what looked like omelets as she passed him by in his kitchen. She headed down the hallway to save herself from anymore embarrassment.


	6. The Morning After

'Bethany Joy Lenz, you are an idiot,' Joie scolded herself as she faced her own image in the bathroom mirror.

She leaned her forehead against the mirror and stared down into the sink. Trying to recollect her thoughts, she began placing the pieces together of what she did remember. First of all, she was fully aware that James wouldn't have randomly invited her over while she was completely out of her wits. And she also knew that she had really wanted to see him last night. Putting two and two together, she realized,

'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh… I did not just throw myself at James while I was drunk! We didn't do anything last night, did we? Wait, would he have taken advantage of me? Did he take advantage of me?'

She panicked and made sure she still had on her pajamas. She opened her fleece pants, looking down and then sighed in relief,

'Whew, and the panties are still on!'

Joie splashed some cold water on her face in attempt to get rid of the redness in her cheeks in reaction to her latest realization. She pulled back the mirror door to grab some aspirin and headed back towards the kitchen, reluctantly.

--

James stood around the stove taking his time in carefully preparing breakfast for both him and Joie. He was nervous battling what he wanted to say to Joie and what she might say to him in return. He stuck his head around the corner to see if she was still in the bathroom. The light was still on and he could hear the faucet running so he ducked his head back into the kitchen to refocus on the food. Last night had been a blur for him and he was sure that it had been for Joie too. He didn't even know if she would remember what she'd said to him, much less half of what she'd said. He hoped that today would be the day for them to talk. Not quite sure if she really did have any feelings toward him, he knew he did and he was sure that he'd say what he needed to. Yep, today would definitely be the day.

--

As she came walking out of the hallway she stopped at the entrance of the kitchen and posted against the wall.

"Took you long enough," James commented as he placed two plates of steaming omelet goodness. He set them on the counter motioning for them to eat standing.

"Breakfast, already? James, you shouldn't have," Joie sneered although she really wanted to swoon in the kind gesture.

While rolling his eyes, he mentioned, "I wasn't sure what you liked but I just put in some ham, cheese, onions, and tomatoes. Is that okay?"

Walking towards the counter Joie replied with sincerity,

"It's more than okay… thank you for making breakfast. You really didn't have to."

They made eye contact as James answered, "You're very welcome,"

In silence they ate and enjoyed each other's company, occasionally smiling at each other. After they had finished James looked at her with a goofy grin and touched his tongue to the left corner of his mouth. Joie just looked at him with a similar smile. He repeated his actions, trying to point out that Joie had a bit of egg on the left corner of her own mouth.

"James, what are you trying to imply?" she stated jokingly in response.

He sighed and with his thumb, rubbed the excess food from her lips. Feeling his sudden touch had Joie nervously biting down on her bottom lip. His hand remained cupping the left side of her face. The quiet calm between the two was deafening and she could only look up at him dreamily as he fondly met her gaze. Not wanting to let go of her cheek in his gentle embrace, he moved closer to her bring his face down to meet with hers. Joie shut her eyes expecting a soft kiss but then she felt the tickle of his words to her ear,

"I like you, Joie. I like you a lot. I have to know that you like me too, before I kiss you… that is,"

She opened her eyes. He had pulled back from her ear and stood up straight continuing to lock his eyes with hers. His hand had left her cheek and both were wrapped around her waist. From the way that she looked at him, James could tell how scared she was of the situation. He could feel her shivering in his grasp, but what he didn't know that was despite the uncomfortable anxiety she felt, the shivering was from him holding her so close.

"James… you should now, you should know by now how much I like you. I'm still trying to remember fully what happened last night. All I know for sure is that…"

Her uncertain words were intermittent with James coming down and pressing his lips onto hers. Initially her eyes became enlarged but fluttered shut becoming lost in their first kiss. The feeling of her full lips against his was intoxicating and sent electricity throughout his body. He felt her arms reach up and drape around his neck. He pulled her in tighter if it were possible as he nibbled on her bottom lip. She responded by tenderly licking his lips, encouraging him to slowly encircle her warm tongue with his. Their kissing stayed soft but passionate all at once and their eyes never opened.

'He feels so perfect…' Joie thought briefly. She was consumed again by the passion of their lips and tongues intertwined.

'I hope this feeling never stops… please, don't let it stop…' was all James could hope for privately.

His arms that had been enclosed around her waist slid up and massaged her lower back. He let his left hand trail upwards to her face to hold it, rubbing his thumb along her jaw line, while his other fingers laced through her thick hair. Joie's fingers were gingerly massaging the nape of his neck, playing with his strands of hair. They gradually stopped, breathing heavily and eyes now opening back up. They were still holding onto each other as if for dear life.

"I'm sorry… I just had to do it…" James apologized.

"Don't say sorry… That was… amazing," Joie said her face flushed from the excitement of their kissing.

Grinning at her response he replied, "I couldn't agree more,"

She half smiled as her nerves began to calm down. After a few minutes of allowing themselves to breathe normally once again she began hesitantly,

"I enjoyed that, James. You really are a wonderful kisser…"

He gave one of his cocky smirks which made Joie smile back in return.

"Thank you for that kiss but, I don't think you and I…"

His smile was lost and an expression of hurt appeared as she began to make an excuse. It caused the brightness in his sapphire eyes to become shrouded with dark. As soon as she spoke those last few words, he interrupted her in an angry manner,

"What do you mean, 'I don't think you and I…', huh? You don't think 'you and I' what? What makes you the one to decide that? We haven't even tried 'you and I', us, whatever you want to call it. You're already backing down and even though that was the most amazing kiss that I've ever shared with anyone, you're not willing to admit _just how good_ it was for you too."

She was taken aback by the forcefulness of his voice along with the fact that she had been his most amazing kiss. Even though she wanted this feeling with James to continue, she could not help but to deny her feelings and think of what was best for the both of them.

"You're not being mature about this. What about our professional relationship, don't you think about how awkward it will be if things don't work out?"

"That's exactly what this is all about—me lacking maturity! You know what, you're the damn immature one for thinking that age has anything to do with how you feel about someone. It's not like there's 10 years in between us!" James fought back, yelling this time around.

"In this situation, you _are_ lacking maturity! You don't even think about the consequences of our actions. You're not thinking about what could happen; scratch that, what will happen!"

"That's because… that's because all I can think about is you, Joie, just you!" Those last words he spoke more softly and obviously much more painfully.

Joie was at a loss of words and searched in his eyes for the truth. Was he being truthful to himself and to her? As an actress, she knew the severity of falling for someone that you work with. Now it wasn't just the age difference that worried her but their careers were now on the line also. She felt her eyes welling up as she stared at him. As she read his eyes she saw the pain that reflected but she doubted herself which led to doubting James, as well.

James remembered last night and asked her,

"Do you want to know what happened last night?"

"James, I was drunk and…"

"Do you want to know what happened?" he cut her off.

"Sure, why not…"

The lack of care in her voice stung but he continued,

"You wanted to see me, Joie. You wanted to be with me and you asked me to hold you. You told me that you liked me and that you liked me a lot! Are you telling me that you didn't mean any of it? Were you thinking about the consequences when you let me hold you? Were you thinking about _anything_ when you told me that you like me?"

James spat out the last question as if regretting her decision to say such a thing to him.

'I was thinking exactly that—the fact that I _do_ like you, James.' Joie thought this to herself wishing that he could read her mind.

She went against her instinctive feeling and persuaded herself to believe that in the end, both would be hurting later on. Better to hurt now than later.

"Like I said, I was drunk!"

With her final sentence, she left him standing in his kitchen, as she walked out of his apartment and right back into hers'. As she shut her door, she leaned back against it, sliding all the way down till her bottom touched the floor. Wrapping her own arms around her, she cried into her sleeves because she knew she had hurt him. As much as she had enjoyed kissing him, she didn't want to jeopardize any part of their relationship—as coworkers, televised lovers, and most of all, friends.

--

James continued to stare at his front door. Just like that they had been sharing the most intimate moment together and just like that she was gone. He was stunned at how this two-month period of revisiting time and time again his interest for her had steered him way off course. He wanted to ball up in a corner and hide away from the world, knowing that it would be too soon when he had to come face to face with Joie. Suddenly anger flooded his vision and he grabbed the plate she had eaten from and thrust it across the room at the front door. It shattered into many pieces onto the floor.

--

Joie sat there and cringed when she heard the loud crash right across the hall from her. But she remained still, too frightened to check on James. She knew very well he'd be fine physically, but emotionally… well, that's what not he, but she had broken—his emotions.


	7. Saying Sorry

The next few weeks at the studio were difficult for everyone. Although none of the other actors were unaware of anything between James and Joie, there was a difference in their chemistry when they were filming for their scenes. Even Hilarie and Sophia were not informed on the 'situation' but it was obvious that the night of the girls' sleepover, something had changed in James and Joie's relationship. Since the episodes that they were filming for were still in an early stage of the show, neither actor nor actress had much to worry about. What the two were concerned about was when they would start building up the romance between their character's lives in the show. That involved everything from scenes of the two showing affection to kissing. Joie dreaded the day that they would start shooting for the eighth episode—the first kiss and admittance of feelings between Haley James and Nathan Scott.

--

The girls of 'One Tree Hill' sat in a dimly lit studio eating their lunches from the buffet of catered sandwiches.

"So where is Mr. Hot Shot Murray taking you tonight?" Joie asked mischievously.

Sophia's dimples popped up displaying her glee in her friend's question.

"He said it's a surprise, so I wouldn't know now, would I?"

Hilarie rolled her eyes and commented, "In this town there are only _so_ many things you can do, don't you think?"

Joie laughed at the observation, "True, very true!"

At that same moment actors Chad and James were heading in the direction of the ladies, indulging in their own light conversation.

"I'm trying to decide between taking her to that harbor-side restaurant or to catch that chick flick she's been ranting about at that nice theatre downtown."

James scoffed, replying, "Chick flick? Only if you can handle it, bro. Personally, I would much rather eat than do the chick movie."

Chad blushed at his friend's remark; taking note of what'd he do for Sophia.

"Hey man, I'll see how many chick flicks you'll avoid once you got that special someone. I can picture you right now, 'Yes, ma'am, I would love to see _A Walk to Remember_ with you again.' Haha…"

"What were saying about _A Walk to Remember_?" Sophia had overheard Chad's words.

She grinned as he walked over to her and lightly gave her a peck on her forehead. Joie wrapped her fingers around her neck falsely choking herself, while Hilarie imitated vomiting by sticking her middle finger in her mouth. They were having a giggle fit and James couldn't help but to join in their laughter as he watched the antics of the two girls. Joie watched James laugh, the first in a while since she'd had the pleasure of seeing him happy. She missed him so much and the kindness that he had made available to her was not gone which she felt she had taken granted for. He still made her swoon when he did laugh genuinely and he still got to her, as much as she still denied it.

"Hilarious," Sophia sarcastically stated.

She stood up to throw her plate in the nearby trashcan and linking arms with her blonde haired boyfriend, the two sauntered away. Without turning around, Sophia waved off to her friends she left behind.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom and I have to prepare for the next scene with those two. I'll see you guys later," she faked enthusiasm and left as well.

Joie sat in her seat still eating the remainder of her lunch and James stood tautly, unsure of where to go.

"You can join me. I won't bite," she said coolly.

James sat down in response and turned in his seat to the buffet table behind him to grab a bag of potato chips. He watched her eating and saw small crumbs on the corner of her lips that he wanted to brush off for her, but he stopped himself. She was still adorable with her hair wild and free, casually dressed in jeans and a fitted cream colored cable-knit sweater. As always, her makeup was kept light for her character as Haley, but looking at her, Joie didn't even need it. Eventually, she took a napkin and wiped her mouth, herself, which internally disappointed James. He missed the flirtatious banter between the two of them and couldn't stand the newfound distance between them now.

As Joie finished the last bite of her sandwich she pointed out,

"The last time we ate together, I don't think that it was _this_ intense," she attempted to smile at him.

He avoided her looking at his face and simply replied,

"Well, I think the difference with then and now is that the last time we ate together, I still had some sort of feelings for you,"

'Ouch,' Joie thought herself.

Even though her jaw dropped a little to his statement, she did not retaliate.

"I deserved that. And since you're letting me talk to you, I want to apologize. I'm sorry for how I reacted that day…"

"I don't need an apology." He coldly interrupted her.

"James, I miss you,"

She didn't try smiling this time. Instead she attempted to hold back a few tears. She did miss him. They connected well and even if they couldn't be romantically involved with one another, she wanted more than anything to be friends with him again.

Her explanation made James look piercingly into her own sad brown eyes.

"Don't say shit like that to me anymore." His voice was hard and distant.

As soon as he saw the misery in his face, he turned away immediately.

'Don't break down! Don't break down! She can't say things like that anymore, knowing how much you like her! It's like a game to her or something… I can't believe _I'm the one_ making her feel this way… look at her eyes…"

Inside, James fought with himself, wanting to forgive her.

As harsh as his words were, Joie remained calm, preventing him from discouraging her.

"Please, can't we talk this out? I miss talking with you. And despite what happened, I want to stay friends with you." She pleaded willingly.

His eyes softened at her determination.

"I want to be friends with you too. I want to be more than friends and you know that."

"Well, let's just start over as friends again. I think we need that more than anything. I'm not asking you to forgive me, but let's just start new."

"I don't know if…"

She stuck her hand out and cut him off,

"My name's Bethany Lenz, but everyone calls me Joie."

After staring at her hand for a few seconds, James smiled weakly and returned her handshake.

"James."

She saw the intensity in his expression lighten up and decided that she would make it up to him.

"I'll tell you what, James—you agree to hang out with me tonight and we'll do whatever you want to do. I'll go to an arcade with you, even though I'll probably just watch, or I'll… I don't even know just you pick. Tonight is your night and Mr. Lafferty, Joie Lenz is all your's!"

His eyes widened at her last remark, "Um, okay…" he muttered.

"Sorry…" she apologized quickly realizing her mistaken choice of words.

"I don't think it's such a good idea…" James began uncertainly.

"You're free to bail whenever," Joie added reassuringly.

He smiled unsure of himself but excited at the same time. Even if Joie wouldn't like him the way that he liked her, he would rather be _her friend_ than be _her nothing_.

"Deal," he said.

"Great! Then… wait, what time is it right now?"

She searched her pocket for her cell phone and saw that it was 1:51pm.

James remained quiet as he watched her planning to herself.

"You don't have anything schedule for tonight, do you?" she asked.

"No,"

"Cool. Then is 6 o'clock okay for you?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Nice! Then I'll be at your apartment at six, meaning that you have a good four hours to figure out what you want to do!" she exclaimed.

She was excited for this chance to make amends with James. But for some reason, she couldn't help but hide the guilt of wishing it were a date, not just 'hanging out'.

James was eager to have a fun time with Joie. Despite the jackass that he'd been to her for the past several weeks, he couldn't believe that she would still want to be friends with him. He had felt so remorseful at their fight because things had changed between them and regretfully, Joie had been right. He noticed how hard it was to work with her in scenes when they're not even intimate yet. It had run through his mind that in a couple more weeks, they'd be shooting the first of many 'Naley' scenes, as the crew called it. Focusing on his inner thoughts, he was surprised by Joie's hand waving in front of his face.

"Hello, you there?"

"Sorry. So, see you at six?"

"Yep, see you at six!"

As she got up to leave, she almost skipped her way out of the studio before realizing,

'Joie, you're just going to hang out with the guy! Take a chill pill!'

--

Having his own car available to him, James drove home, faster than he had ever driven home before. He was anticipating a great night with Joie and needed time to think back at his place, about what they should do. When he went inside, he checked the clock, an obsessive habit that he'd picked up since Joie had scheduled 6 o'clock for him. He had about an hour and a half to prepare when suddenly, he caught the Xbox in his peripheral vision.

'Hmm… do I have time for one game?'

He stared longingly at it and then thought,

'You're retarded, get in the damn shower!'

Chuckling at himself, he pulled off his hooded sweatshirt along with his wife-beater. As he walked past his laundry room, he tossed both in without looking and continued towards the bathroom.


	8. Blue Team vs Red Team

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all your supportive reviews! I know I ususally update pretty quickly so I apologize for the "delayed" update for this story. Enjoy it and keep reading for more fun and games between James and Joie!

* * *

Joie had just hopped out of the shower and while drying herself off, she realized that she had no clue what James had in store for them. She didn't know what to wear because she didn't know what they would be doing. She decided on a pair of her favorite worn-in jeans, a white fitted long sleeve shirt, and a pair of sneakers. After blow drying her hair, which took her at least 30 minutes, she looked at her image in the mirror contently. She applied light foundation and decided not to put on blush; her cheeks had a natural pink hue to them which only brightened when she became embarrassed. A few coats of mascara later and she had finished.

Looking at the clock on her wall she saw that there was still an hour left. Wanting to make sure that her attire was appropriate to whatever it was they would be doing, she went to go check on James. After closing her door shut, she walked up to his door and knocked on it twice. She waited a few minutes and there was no answer. After pounding on it several times there was still no answer. She considered checking to see if the door was locked or not and went ahead with her gut instinct. As she opened the unlocked front door, she peeked around thinking that he might not be home.

"Joie!"

She gasped and unintentionally stared at James who had just approached the den from the hallway in nothing but a towel. She glowed with mortification, realizing she looked like the biggest pervert ever. His six-pack was toned to perfection all the way to his pelvic bones that angled in, shaping his chest like a 'V'. His arms were built nicely, cut just like how his abs looked.

Taking note of the redness in her cheeks, James smirked at her reaction.

"I know you wanted to be friends but that doesn't mean you can take advantage of me," he commented.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to … the door was locked and…" she tried to think of more excuses.

"Judging by the way you're staring I don't think you're sorry at all!" he mocked her, chuckling afterwards.

Instantly she covered her eyes and her mouth remained opened.

James couldn't help but laugh. She was overreacting; as if she had never seen a guy's naked body before. Suddenly he had a devious grin on his face as he was tempted to mess around with Joie's vulnerability. James slowly advanced towards the temporarily blind Joie and then right before he was about to bear hug her, she removed her hands, opening her eyes.

"Ahhh! What are you doing!" she screamed, suddenly seeing him so close to her, half-naked.

"But, baby I know you want me. Don't you want some sexual healing?"

He flashed the corniest smile and roughly rubbed up and down her back.

"Ewww! Stop touching me immediately! Stop!" she begged with fits of laughter in between.

"Okay, okay! I'm stopping…" he laughed and released her from his arms, as nice as it did feel.

She didn't know whether to melt from sexy, half-naked James holding her like that or to flip out on him for molesting her. Joie bent over, leaning her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Without adjusting her head, she glared right at him and growled.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it!"

James just gave her crooked smile in return and asked,

"So, besides my sexy body, what did you really want?"

Rolling her eyes, she lied, "Um, definitely not your body, and I was wondering that whatever you plan on having me do tonight, if my clothes are okay? Do I need to bring like a helmet or kneepads or something?"

He laughed at sincerity of her question.

"Are you serious? Do you think I'm taking you rock climbing or something?"

"Hah! Well… actually, maybe… I don't know what you like to do for fun, Lafferty!"

Taking a look at her shirt, he hid an evil smile and reassured her, "You're fine with what you're wearing,"

"Cool," she responded as she placed her hand on the knob of his front door.

As he turned around towards his hallway to change in his room, he failed to notice Joie's revenge would be so soon. At that exact moment, she ripped his towel off, dropped it, **catching a view of his fine ass**, and ran out of his apartment and into hers.

--

"So, what'd you think of my buns o' steel?"

"So, what'd your balls think of the sudden cold draft?" Joie sneered.

James stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation to her reply.

As the pair sat in the car, they mostly drove in quiet excitement that they bold held in. Trying to remain as calm as possible neither wanted to disturb the peaceful silence between them both. After about fifteen minutes, Joie was too anxious to hold back anymore conversation.

"I'm assuming that from the way you're concentrating on the road, you know where we're going…"

Suddenly distracted by her question, James gave her a quick blank stare, letting her words process.

"Oh, um… you'll see when we get there,"

He gave her a sly grin.

Not knowing how to interpret his smile, Joie began to consider what he might have planned for them. She started daydreaming about him taking her to the dock (she had gotten the idea from when Sophia had told her about Chad's 'secret' plans). She began to drift into her own thoughts…

_James stood shirtless and tan, powerfully steering a sailboat with just the two of them on it._

"_Joie, I know you didn't bring a swimming suit and I know how much you wanted to go swimming…"_

"_No, James, it is fine… I'll just watch you swimming. That is enough for me, my dear,"_

"_But I want to swim with you… us together… how about we go skinny-dipping then, hmm?"_

_He still had that same smirk on his face that made me want to melt. (Sigh)._

"Joie, we're here!"

She snapped back in reality as she noticed that they had come to a stop and James was waving his hand madly in front of her face. She looked outside to see a building with large see-through glass windows; the inside resembled a recreational center.

"Where are we?" She asked still confused by her surroundings.

"This is a rec center that I come to all the time, usually to play basketball. But, the one thing great about this place is that, they actually have laser tag here." He proudly stated.

"Laser tag? Haha… oh my gosh, I haven't played that since middle school, I think."

"Well, you up for it, Lenz?"

"Get ready for an ass-whooping!"

Slightly disappointed at the lack of romance in laser tag, Joie scolded herself,

'Why are you being such a bum? Stop being so pressed over him!'

James could see a slight disappointment in Joie's eyes when he let her know what he had planned for them. But as soon as she had threatened him an 'ass-whooping', he saw the same fun spark in her eyes. He was sure the competitiveness in her personality would enjoy the game no matter what.

--

It was obvious that James was familiar to everyone at the rec center and he was definitely popular with the girls. As soon as they had seen Joie with him, she felt their catty whispers and glaring eyes all over her. Joie loved it.

'Ha-ha, bitches!'

As one of the facilitators explained rules and regulations and showed them to properly put on their gear, she realized that no one else would be playing except for them.

"Where are the other players?" she asked the facilitator.

"Well, uh… since you guys came on a weekday, we're actually pretty empty."

"Hmm… wouldn't have thought so," she replied.

"And since only you guys will be playing, James you are the blue team, and Joie you are the red team."

James was amused at how cute Joie looked in her vest and holding a play-gun the size of her head. After admiring her appearance he was shaken by her remark after her noticing how they were the only players. He shrugged off her comment and changed the subject.

"Well, Lenz… let's do this thing!"

They both went into the facility through individual doors and went their way. Joie had never seen such a place. The room had three different levels and everything was black, with the exception of random artwork that glowed in the black-light. There were barriers, walls, and ramps that led to who knew where. Looking down at her shirt she realized the irony of James giving her the thumbs up on her outfit.

'Shit! That dope purposely let me wear this white shirt!'

She grimaced at her shirt and shoes that glowed brightly from the black-light. Then, she smirked at her sudden idea that came across her mind.

--

James immediately began his search for 'the enemy'. He loved games like this and only felt it was appropriate because it was relaxing and fun at the same time. He hoped that Joie wouldn't find out that he had rented out the whole facility for the next hour. Even though they were spending time as friends, he didn't want anyone else disturbing their time together. As he walked through the dark maze, he tried to listen for any noises that might be emitted from the red team area. His door had led to the top level of the room and her door had led to the bottom level leaving them searching for one another amidst the dark.

Unexpectedly, he saw the glowing of the white shirt she had worn, partially hidden behind a barrier on the second level. He laughed at his own advantage in this game. As he aimed for her shirt he tried to keep himself as best concealed as he could too. He looked for the center of her vest, knowing that was one of the targets when all of a sudden, his lights started flashing red signifying that he had gotten shot.

"What?" he yelled with surprise.

He looked down at where he thought Joie had been hiding. She was gone. He slapped his forehead and ran towards his base to recharge his gun.

--

James had fallen for the shirt. Joie had taken off the shirt deciding that if James would play dirty, she would too. Luckily, she had worn a black bra. She had taken her shoes and socks off as well and decided the next trick would be even better. She tucked her shoes underneath a hanging barrier, allowing James to think she was standing there and she hid away from it, getting a better view of her enemy.

--

James saw her shoes. He couldn't believe how cute she was, trying to hide but doing so unsuccessfully. He advanced towards her slowly and quietly and that's when his alarms went off again.

"What the hell?" he said again out loud in frustration.

He kept walking to where he thought she was, discovering that she had purposely taken her shoes off to trick him. He grunted in displeasure and started stomping around trying to look for her. He than noticed her shirt glowing brightly, hung over a wall.

'She's walking topless around here!' he thought to himself.

It made him half-mad because she was getting back at him but half-excited, for other reasons obviously. He tried to focus on the game at hand, becoming full aware of the fact that because she had distracted him, she could easily get to his base now. He ran towards it not only to get recharged but to get her.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it!' he yelled at himself mentally.

As old as the two were, their competitiveness clearly intercepted their maturity.

--

Joie ran as quickly and quietly as possible, attempting to avoid any attention from James. Soon she could hear the weight of his feet on the ground, running at a fast pace. She quickened her speed heading towards his base. As she dashed across the top level of the facility, she weaved in and out of barriers and walls to get to her destination. Breathing loudly and roughly, it was difficult to keep hidden from him so she immediately went to his base and as soon as she was about to stick her gun through the target she saw two hands slam against the walls each to the side of her head. Without faltering, she shot the target making the alarms go off loud and clear throughout the entire facility. She turned gradually to meet eyes with her opponent with a cocky smile on her face. She was dumbfounded to find James with a similar expression on his face, his hands still planted to the wall. He blocked her off from going anywhere, looking straight down on her. They were both trying to catch their breaths, breathing slower now but still loudly panting.

James looked down at Joie who was clad in only jeans and a lacy black bra. She still wore her vest with her gun clipped to the belt loops of her jeans. He could see bits of her pure flesh peeking through the loose garment. Seeing her irregular breathing made her chest heave dramatically, stirring up lust in his eyes. Her hair was all around her shoulders giving her a wild appearance that turned him on even more.

Joie stared back at his lustful gaze and she allowed him to look at her that way. She felt like the darkness of the room, hid her emotions that encompassed much more than lust. But at that moment, she wanted him physically just as much as he wanted her. She began to unbuckle the heavy vest that she wore, letting it slide off her body, exposing her bare tummy and lace-covered chest.

'Do you really want this, Joie Lenz?' she ran mentally through her mind. '… because you're about to get it…'


	9. The Truth Comes Out

Wow! I'm so glad that I got such a great response with Chapter 8. I have a question to ask all readers and reviewers—**should I or should I not end it with Chapter 9?** If you'd rather not answer, I can always throw in the element of surprise. Let me know!

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James could only stare with his mouth open slightly, as Joie unsnapped the heavy vest, allowing it to fall away from her body. He could see her fully clad in only a racy black bra, embellished with lace, chest heaving as she tried to breathe evenly from running so fast so suddenly. Her creamy stomach was exposed curving out to her full hips, covered by her tight denim jeans. His breathing had only increased in loudness, as lust began to engulf his mind and all he wanted was her, right then and there. He continued to stand still in utter astonishment as she deliberated in taking off his vest for him. Her movements were unhurried, as she patiently undressed him to match her. As she played with the hem of his black t-shirt, he raised his arms, allowing her to take that off of him, as well. He let his eyes shut momentarily to relish the split seconds of when her fingers gently and briefly grazed his chest and arms. Dressed in only a white wife-beater, he simply watched her as she finished by stripping that off too. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other and instead they locked their eyes with one another as if wordlessly agreeing with each other's actions—more so, Joie's actions.

This time, James took her hands, feeling her trembling beneath his own, and pulled them up around his neck. He kept his motions soft and slow because of how fragile she felt and this entire moment felt. He wanted her to remain loyal to the feelings she felt at that instant. He hoped that it would be more than a physical attraction to him that she felt. Most of all, he wanted this feeling that they were sharing, to never stop. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in closer to him.

'You can't blame it on alcohol this time, Joie,' James pleasingly thought.

James angled his face down so that he could bring his lips to meet hers. They shared a tender kiss despite the lust that flowed strong in their blood, keeping their kissing controlled but affectionate. James slid his hands down the back pocket of her jeans, pressing her whole body against his and suckled on her bottom lip, soothing it with his tongue. She let her hands linger underneath his arms and massaging the muscles on his wide back. Their bodies felt warm as they pressed against each other passionately. James began to rub his tongue softly against Joie's as their kissing became heated and lustful. Pulling his palms out of her back pockets, James picked her up cautiously, letting her legs to wrap around his own waist. The entire time, they lips remained locked. He leaned back against the wall as they smothered each other in tongue and swollen lips.

Pausing momentarily to catch their breath, James released her, letting her stand on her two feet. He brought his immediate attention to her neck as he placed sweet kisses alongside the curve of where her jaw met her neck. She reveled in how careful he was with her as if she was precious cargo.

"Joie?" he broke the peacefulness of their slow passion.

"Hmm?" she smiled at him dreamily in response.

"Don't you think we're rushing things?"

"I'd say that's up to you…" she shyly replied.

Before he began to inquire her more about her change of heart, Joie placed her index finger on his lips gently. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to confess.

"James, I know everything that I said before… I pretty much came up with every excuse available to avoid any relationship between the two of us. When we fought and you wouldn't even talk to me, it bothered so much more than I thought it would. Honestly, I can't stop thinking about you. It may sound crazy but only these past few weeks made me miss you. I give you credit for the patience that you've had with me… only because I know now how you feel,"

He felt ecstatic inside but masked it by remaining calm. He was afraid that again she might change her mind. He was afraid of her losing that feeling as she had done so well before.

"So… this is what you want?" He hesitated before asking.

Still smiling she brought her small palm to cup his face,

"Not _this_ per se, but if you're referring to yourself… well then, duh,"

He lifted her up again into his arms and spun them around; he couldn't help but to grin from ear to ear. Joie couldn't believe the whirlwind of emotions that had overtaken her. But she didn't care because now she was exactly where she wanted to be. No regrets and no worries about where it could lead the two of them because James was definitely worth it.

"What do you say, we get out of here?" he asked her.

"Yeah, you know if we would have had sex here—would not have been good for you," she assured him.

As he slipped his wife-beater back on, he chuckled and said,

"What makes you think we were going to have sex? Joie Lenz, are you being easy with me?"

Her cheeks reddened with shame and despite the dark, James could see that it crept down her neck and faded around her chest. Smirking at his new observation, he kissed her glowing cheek.

"I love making you blush," he stated bashfully.

She huffed in joking frustration and smacked his ass in reprisal.

"Ooh, baby!" he yelped just to egg her on.

"James!" she warned.

Throwing her puppy-dog eyes he answered, "Yes, ma'am?"

The two continued their flirtatious teasing as they both re-dressed themselves. Both had huge smiles plastered on their faces enjoying each others' company. James pulled his cell phone out of his jean pocket to check the time.

"Actually, we still have about twenty more minutes, you know," he assured Joie.

"Twenty more minutes for what, may I ask?" she mockingly questioned.

As he walked up behind her, he enclosed his masculine arms around her waist and tucked his chin lightly into her neck.

He began seductively, "Well, I don't know…" then in an honest tone he suggested, "We could just talk,"

"I'd like that a lot, actually," she smiled up at him.

James sat down first, his back adjacent with the wall, allowing her to snuggle up in between his legs, facing him. Once again he encircled her petite waist with his own arms.

"Are you nervous?" he asked quietly.

"About… us, you mean?"

"Mm hmm,"

She sighed deeply before expressing, "I am. But that's how I have been… regarding our 'situation' or whatever you want to call it. I have to admit that my first impression of you… well, let's just say that I had to keep myself under control,"

Joie broke eye contact and engaged herself with the shoelaces of her sneakers.

James eyebrows raised and his infamous smirk appeared in his face watching her act so nervously.

"Haha… I did notice how shy you were. You were babbling at first and called yourself 'my Haley'. That was priceless. Ms. Lenz, sometimes I think you are too cute for your own good,"

Her cheeks glowered due to her recollection of her behavior when she had first laid eyes upon James.

"Hey! It was like first day jitters! Oh, you know what I'm talking about!" suddenly defending herself.

"It's okay if you got all hot for my sexy body; it can be really difficult to resist. But that doesn't mean that I wasn't checking you out…" he stated matter-of-factly.

She became even more flushed at his second comment and decided to remain silent.

Lifting her chin up with his forefinger, he smiled reassuringly at her. His expression then became serious and he asked one more time,

"You won't change your mind, will you?"

"Nope. You won't be so lucky, this time," she remarked with a chuckle.

"I think it's the opposite, actually,"

Joie's eyes focused in on James.

"James, I know that I messed up before. Your age doesn't bother me because your maturity doesn't bother me. You're very established for someone your age. I'm not saying that just to compliment you or to compare you to other guys but I'm really comparing you to how I was four years back. My priorities or let's say, lack of, were all over the place. You're so determined and I admire that about you. You'll probably get a few stares because I'm warning you, I do get mistaken for being in high school…" she laughed at herself before continuing, "As for work, I'm not worried to be honest. Whatever happens, will happen. Because as of… hmm… maybe fifteen minutes ago, you and I are happening—James and Joie are happening, at this very moment."

James brought his lips down upon her forehead, agreeing with every word that she said.


	10. Denial

So obviously, I decided to continue with the story, thanks to most of the suggestions from the reviewers. Thank, guys! I felt like I was dragging the story, but I think if I take more time writing and thinking everything out, it might not turn out so bad. So, here it is, Chapter 10! I know I'm kind of rushing the story, but I guess since it's my first fic, I'm too impatient. Will do better, next time!

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"Bethany Joy Lenz, you are just as freaky as I thought you'd be!" Hilarie exclaimed.

It had been about a week since the laser tag adventure between James and Joie and she had just finished explaining the past week to her quite curious friends Hilarie and Sophia. Everyone had noticed the new friendly 'bond' between the actor and actress. Apart from the fact that several evenings out of the week, they chose to rehearse the abode of either of their apartments', they hung out as much as they could. At work, they kept their relationship purely professional which they had both agreed upon. Eventually, their scenes would involve much more affection towards each other, anyway.

"Uh, definitely not a freaky one here," she retorted.

Scoffing with mock disdain, Sophia spoke up, "In a laser tag room-thing-whatever-you-call-it? That is most definitely on somebody's top ten list of freaky places to get your freaky on, Ms. Freaky!"

"Enough with the 'freaky' comments, people!" Joie exasperated.

Both of her friends looked at her in complete amusement and giggled.

"Actually let's just change subjects from Freaky #1 to Freaky #2…" Hilarie continued while glancing over at Sophia.

"No, but seriously, enough with the 'freaky'," Sophia added.

"Yeah well, how are you and Chad?" Joie asked.

"We're doing fabulous; almost at our one-month mark of dating!" she squealed with excitement.

"Trust me, Sophie, we can tell. Everyone can tell. If you're not the one talking about it, your Mr. Michael Murray is." Hilarie pointed out.

"Ew, please do not refer to me as Sophie; sounds like the name of some fluffy poodle. And everyone _should_ know about it considering that _it is_ a celebration!" she mentioned joyously.

This time it was Joie's turn to laugh while Hilarie pretended to gag herself. Soon the gleeful brunette and sarcastic blonde were joining in on the laughter, continuing their mindless chatter. They had been enjoying themselves at a café nearby the studio, sipping coffees and teas, to temporarily escape from their beloved 'Tree Hill'.

As their giddiness began to die down, Joie intervened with a serious question,

"Is it weird?"

Her friends knew exactly what she was talking about as random as her question was.

"The age difference or the difference between _JL_'s private time and work time?" Sophia asked.

The _JL_s was a nickname that Sophia had come up with for the relationship that was James Lafferty and Joie Lenz. As cheesy as it was, it stuck.

"It's kind of uncomfortable for me to look at our driver's licenses and see how much younger he is than me. I was born in 1981 and he was born in 1985! When I was in preschool, he had just been born!"

Placing her hand comfortingly on Joie's shoulder, Hilarie noted, "Hey, no one's looking at your IDs! As long as he likes you and you like him, nothing else matters. And it's not like he acts like he's four years younger than you. Just feel sorry for the girl that is dating or _has dated_ a guy her age and acted four years younger,"

She added her last comment while pointing to herself.

"Oops," she added while shrugging nonchalantly.

Hilarie always knew how to lighten up a bad mood and cheer everyone up. She was definitely the wild-child of the three and yet had total self-control in her emotions, with a keen ability to see the glass half-full. Joie smiled at her friend's consoling honesty.

"Besides, whatever happened to that quote, 'Blondes have more fun' or some shit like that? You bitches are the ones with boyfriends. So, kiss my ass," she laughed at own words.

--

Joie humorously watched as a couple of high school extras flirted excessively with her costar boyfriend.

"How'd you get to start out acting so young?" one of them asked him in complete fascination.

"I've been acting since I was a kid, that's all,"

"Wow," the other dramatically swooned.

Joie sauntered towards their direction to meet James as he kindly participated in answering all of their questions.

"Hey, James. And how are you ladies doing?" she greeted them as well.

As soon as they met eyes with her, she could tell how unhappy they were. They both ignored her greeting. In return, Joie ignored their rude manners and continued speaking to James. Thankfully, the two students left in annoyance. Taking her hand, he led them to a dark corner of the studio, which was mostly empty, anyway. They embraced each other tightly before James softly whispered in her ear,

"You're not jealous are you?"

"Hah! Are you kidding me?"

"Well, don't you want to protect your boyfriend from evil hormone-exploding teenage girls?" he innocently asked.

"Well, they're only sixteen. You're not _that_ much older," she contemptuously replied.

An awkward silence was met after her statement for more than obvious reasons. There was a flash of hurt in James' deep blue eyes that Joie did not mean to cause. Joie sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry," and she brought him in for another embrace.

James tried to blow off the several, actually many incidents when Joie would remind him of just how young he was. He knew the delicacy of the subject, but the jokes and comments were getting old. It was as if she were embarrassed of the difference in their age. The tone in which she would say those things would be serious and demeaning. Since that wonderful occasion that they had shared at the rec center, he had verified with her that everything would be okay. When she constantly joked about the age topic, though, he wasn't so sure—that everything was really okay.

"It's fine," he ostensibly reassured her.

"Sometimes, I'm a bitch. I blame my instinctive cattiness towards those stupid high school kids," she pouted at the thought of the girls from earlier.

James melted at his girlfriend's cute lips pouting out like a disappointed child.

"Damn it, Lenz! Like I said, you are too cute for your own damn good!"

Blushing at his sudden outburst, James could not hold back from pinching her adorable cheeks.

--

After a little over a month had passed, the love affair between Nathan and Haley escalated allowing the two actors behind the characters to show affection in public—well, only during scenes. During that time, Joie grew more self-conscious about their relationship and as much as she liked James, she worried. Meanwhile, James was falling for her hard. He cherished every possible second he spent with her. He had stopped being so paranoid about her feelings towards him and found himself expressing his utter devotion to her. When she played the age card or intentionally privatized their relationship, it left him vulnerable and hurt. But because of the fact that she kept trying made it easier for him to forgive her. Joie had become an intoxicating experience for him and he never wanted it to stop.

--

Joie was walking around the dairy aisle of the local grocery store. She had come with James so the two of them could indulge in a homemade dinner but momentarily, he was lost flipping through some sports magazines.

"Hey, buddy!"

She turned immediately to see Chad standing there with a happy grin on his face. Their characters were ever so involved as best friends and it definitely rubbed off on the individuals in real life, as well.

"Hey!" she excitedly replied.

She put her basket down to hug her friend. After they let go of one another he peeked into her basket.

"So, what's this all for?"

"Oh, nothing just plain old groceries," she said meekly.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement. Although Chad was Sophia's boyfriend, she had promised Joie not to tell another soul. It was only Hilarie and Sophia that knew of James and Joie's bond. She dreaded what would happen if he were to find out that Sophia knew but he didn't. James had wanted to tell him but Joie refused, therefore he willingly obliged to her request. Chad and Joie were the same age, making it even more awkward because he certainly wasn't dating someone four years younger.

"So, what's new with you?" he asked, striking up conversation.

"Uh… nothing. I've just been you know, working, hanging out at home, sometimes with Hilarie and Sophia." She answered quickly.

"Uh huh…" he hesitated for a second, and he squinted to focus in on her, "Joie… I know we aren't the best of friends but we are friends. What I'm trying to say is that… there are some rumors going around that…"

He paused hoping she'd know what he was about to say.

"What rumors?" she asked in disbelief.

'Who would say anything about me? What did I do? I don't even do anything wrong or bad or evil…'

Her thoughts ran amuck.

He cleared his throat before continuing,

"Um… these rumors… well, basically… okay look, people are saying that you and James are seeing each other," he finally blurted out.

Joie stood there stunned by his words. She was dumbfounded and speechless. Then her eyes searched the environment to see if there was any sign of James.

"Uh… um…"

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to say it but, we're friends and I thought that you should know. I know it's not true, so it shouldn't really affect either one of you guys. I mean, he's like barely legal,"

'I know it's not true? Barely legal? He doesn't even think there's a possibility of _us_ being together.'

All her worst fears were arising now that she knew how everyone viewed the bond between James and her. Despite how much his comment had pissed her off; she went along with his assumption.

As convincingly as she could she retorted, "Uh… yeah, I don't know why people would throw those rumors out about James and I. We're friends and what everyone else thinks is just a joke. Chad, come on, you know how much younger is James than me. Are you serious?"

Her tone made her sound upset at the thought in an attempt to avoid any doubt from her friend. But she had not noticed that James had been looking for her and as he was about to turn the corner into the dairy section, he had overheard the entire conversation. That included her denial, her conviction, and what seemed like disgust in regarding their relationship.

He watched as she stood defiant about her words to Chad and did not falter. Even if what she had said wasn't true, he didn't want that in their relationship anymore. Why she hid him behind her back when she was questioned he couldn't understand. He wanted to jump out front and tell that person questioning her that, _Yes, I like her and she likes me. Yeah, I'm 18 and she's 22 and still, she likes me._

'She likes me, right?'

In frustration, he turned right back around and walked to the exits of the grocery store. He left and walked back home to his apartment to consider what he wanted them to be in comparison to what they really were.

Joie exited the grocery store. After she had finished talking with Chad she had gone to look for James. She just wanted to go home with him, have dinner and be together in peace, undisturbed by the outsiders. She had searched the entire market three times, walking up and down each and every aisle.

'Where did he go?' she worried to herself.

Sullenly, she walked back home by herself, lugging the heavy groceries back to her apartment. After having climbed three flights of stairs two different times, carrying the bags of food, she paused to catch her breath. Still bent over and heaving loudly, she weakly knocked on James' apartment door. She looked around, the plastic grocery bags full of produce, still strewn all over the floor. Finally the door opened and there stood James, an emotionless expression on his face.

Still feeling the guilt from her words she did not attack him but asked him quietly,

"Why did you leave?"

"I changed my mind about dinner," he answered brusquely.

"Huh?"

"Actually… I think… no, _I know_ that I've changed my mind about you,"

With that, he shut the door firmly, preventing her from being able to say anything more.


	11. Month of November

Thanks for all the supportive reviews! I know the last chapter was kind of crappy... I definitely could have written better. I rushed Chapter 10, like usual. But, I hope you guys like this one, especially you Chad and Sophia fans. Enjoy! **xoxo  
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As quickly as James and Joie had gotten together, their relationship had ended just as quickly. After that night, there was no conversation to follow or any closure between the two of them. James became very distant not only with Joie, but with the rest of the cast as well. After he had heard Chad say those things, he knew everyone else could be saying the exact same things. The rumors that had torn them apart continued to float around but this time, they really were rumors.

After a month's time, the actors behind Nathan and Haley's characters had to hide their indifferences and pull off performances of 'Naley love'. Joie hated to admit that James was quite good at 'acting' as a devoted Nathan to her character, Haley, because she knew it was only for the camera's eyes. Their relations remained civil towards one another only to avoid any situations that could arise at the studio. She had not apologized, assuming he was tired of her pathetic apologies. She compared herself to her character, wishing she could be as patient and faithful as Haley James was. In all actuality, both of them had switched roles in real life. Joie could definitely see herself as the jerk that Nathan was portrayed as. The good heart that James had was relatable to Haley's, but now Joie had broken it without intentions of doing so.

Everyday James found himself struggling to keep a steady expression of nonchalance on his face when she looked at him. If she dare smile, his intuitive feelings fought with him that much more. Usually, her smiles were empty, confusing him of how she was after their short-lived romance.

--

Sophia lay in her bed pondering what she would be doing for during the holiday season. The month of November was almost over with a week and half left and the cast and crew had finished for the year. They would begin filming again in late January. She wanted do something special with Chad but then again, she didn't know if he'd be planning something else or if she should without his knowing. She sighed heavily; it was stressful maintaining a relationship with someone with their busy lives centered on their work. The winter break would be well deserved for everyone.

Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly she heard the voice of someone she knew all too well.

"Baby?"

Sophia propped herself on her elbows, her lower half still attached to the bed. At her bedroom door, her boyfriend stood with a concerned look on his face, but smiling slightly. He loved discovering her in moments where she would be caught completely off-guard because she despised it.

"Why, hello, hello, hello…" she greeted him in a false British accent while looking him up and down.

Chad ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair and walked over to his contemplative girlfriend. He plopped himself down on the bed beside her, snuggling his head against her well-endowed chest. She stared down at his glassy blue eyes that echoed clear blue waters.

"What are you thinking about?" Chad asked her while stroking her soft, feminine hands.

"Oh… just trying to figure out what I want to do during the winter break,"

He put on a fake frown while batting his eyelashes and replied,

"Well, don't you want to do… me?"

She scoffed with fun gleaming in her eyes. She grabbed one of her many pillows, throwing it on his face. They played around, tickling each other and laughing at the other's antics. After they had calmed down, they settled back comfortably onto Sophia's bed.

"So, you plan on doing anything with the girls?"

Although she wanted to focus on discussing plans with her boyfriend, she recalled Joie's behavior as of late. She knew that her friend had been hurting because obviously the _JL_s were no longer together. Neither she nor Hilarie had bothered Joie by asking for the details because even from their view, they could only imagine how tired their crushed friend was of playing cat-and-mouse. She and Hilarie had both kept their promises only talking amongst themselves in private, hoping that their big-hearted but petite friend was going to be okay.

"You know, I just might. I'm thinking about doing a little girl-to-girl date with Joie. I know that 'Goldilocks' is heading home for the entire month to hang out with her hubby and their friends."

"Yeah, that's sounds like a great idea. Those stupid rumors must really be getting to her," Chad agreed.

Sophia eyed him questioningly. She had been aware of the rumors, but what did he know about them?

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"The rumors… oh, you know what I'm talking about. Everyone talking shit about how she and James are going out,"

'Or were going out,' Sophia thought sadly.

"I know, but why do you think that would bother her? Everyone knows that she's a hard ass,"

"Yeah but, I actually ran into her a _while_ back at a grocery store and she was not happy about the rumors,"

"What? What did she say to you?"

--

Joie stood on her balcony, dressed in a chunky-knit sweater. It was a jade green color that accentuated her brown hair and eyes. She sipped on a large mug of coffee to warm herself from the chilly Carolina winds. She was tired constantly and it didn't help that often times she'd stay up during the night, crying her eyes out unable to determine the reason why. She wanted to be strong and courageous like she had always been, that is before James had entered her life. She hated that this 'boy' had a hold of her without even having to blink. The disheartened girl felt like she wanted to deny these feelings that overcame her so that maybe, she could stop thinking about him. Worst of all, he'd left without getting her explanation. She felt that it wasn't worth anything, anyway.

As she stared blankly into the scenery of gray skies and low clouds, it seemingly reflected the emotions that dwelled in her. She scanned the area looking for anything to watch that might be the least bit boring. That's when she saw a lone figure running around the apartment's basketball court which she recognized very well.

--

James dribbled the ball fiercely, hitting the asphalt with a loud smack every time it bounced. He started jogging towards the basket, steadily increasing in pace. Eventually, he was running when he suddenly jumped up to dunk the ball through the net with ease. Bringing his arm to his forehead, he wiped away sweat that had accumulated from the past hour. It was a sight to see, coming from the eyes of Joie as she came nearer to the court, as she built up the courage to say something, anything if it need be.

"Hi," she said softly.

James turned around to find the timid image of the girl he liked.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Dropping the ball which rolled off into the grass surrounding the court, he walked towards a nearby bench where he had several bottles of water. Joie followed him.

"How have you been?" Joie asked.

"Same old," he then laughed cynically.

"Maybe I should say, 'Same young',"

Joie sat in silence, unsure of what to say to his sarcastic remark.

Before she could even say anything, James blew up.

"You have a lot of nerve trying to come and talk to me! That night do you even know why I left you at that store? I heard everything that you and Chad were talking about—talking about me! You hurt me way too much, damn it! Damn it, Joie! Why would you toy with someone like this? You didn't even apologize for being a fake little bitch!" he lashed out in fury.

"It felt like I've been throwing out apologies left and right… I didn't want you to think that I was saying sorry just to say sorry. I didn't think you would accept it anyway," her tone was miserable.

"You're right, I wouldn't have accepted it and I still don't!" he spat at her.

And that was it. He stomped off and broke into a sprint. She watched as he got into his car and sped off. She stared at the basketball he had left in the lawn. With hesitation, she decided to bring it with her as she made her way back to her apartment.

--

Both Chad and Sophia stared at each other disbelief at what they had both discovered by mere accident. When Chad had told Sophia what had happened at the supermarket, she admitted to him that there in fact had been a relationship and only she and Hilarie had known.

"_Why couldn't you just tell me?"_

_He was mad at his girlfriend for holding back a secret._

"_Maybe if people like you weren't so damn judgmental! You called James 'barely legal'! That is exactly the reason why Joie hid this from everyone!"_

The two were quiet now, lost in thought. Chad wondered if he had been the reason why the two ended. He knew for sure that even if it wasn't his fault, he had only made it worse.

Seeing the worried look on his face, Sophia comforted her boyfriend,

"It's not your fault, sweetie,"

"It might as well be,"

"I know that you said those things because you thought that's what Joie would want to hear. You were just trying to be a good friend, and that is exactly what you are,"

"Thanks but I don't think I'm the one that needs comforting,"

"Just don't be so damn hard on yourself,"

While his girlfriend was right, he resented himself even more, silently regretting those derogatory comments he had made about his friend, James.

"You know… you know that I didn't mean that shit I said about James, right? He's a good guy!"

Instead of saying anything this time, Sophia gently cupped Chad's face with the palm of her hands, placing a sweet, tender kiss on his lips. Smiling at him caringly, she then pulled away to stand up straight. She began to pace back and forth in front of the confused blonde. She was concentrating on what he could only guess as one of her devious plans. She started rubbing her palms together while interlocking her fingers occasionally, a recognizable habit she did only when planning.

"Princess, what are you trying to scheme up this time?"

She gave him a knowing smirk.

"Oh please, you say _scheme_ like it's a bad thing,"


	12. Sophia's Plan: Part A

Staring at the brass '204' on the door, Chad took in a deep breath before knocking. Several days prior to, he had found out that the night he had bumped into Joie at the grocery, James had been there and had overheard everything. He was nervous not only because his role was important in whatever Brooke had come up with but because he had grown a liking to James and knew he'd crossed the line with his awful words. He realized how fond Joie was of his younger cast-mate and hope that he had not affected James' feelings towards her as well.

He firmly tapped on the front door. Impatiently, he shoved his hands in his pockets while tapping his one foot on the floor. The door opened.

"What are you doing here?" James asked more surprised than hostile.

"Hey, bud, just came here to actually talk to you,"

Unfortunately, James' memory betrayed Chad.

"_I'm sorry I had to be the one to say it but, we're friends and I thought that you should know. I know it's not true, so it shouldn't really affect either one of you guys. I mean, he's like barely legal,"_

"What do you want, man?"

"Well, can I come in for a sec?" Chad uncertainly asked.

"Yeah, whatever," James muttered.

As he walked back to his den, he plopped down on his couch with Chad following, still standing. He looked around the apartment with wide eyes. Trash and dirty clothes were scattered everywhere. Whereas this was typical for single men, the extremity of it was appalling. He knew it was more than the fact that he was a single guy that his place was so filthy.

James ignored Chad rudely staring at the poorly maintained environment. He just hadn't seemed to care for much lately.

"I came here to say sorry," Chad said bluntly.

"Sorry for what? What did you do wrong?"

"You know exactly what I did wrong. But before you kick me out or kick the shit out of me, will you please hear me out?"

James shrugged but did not object so Chad continued.

"That day when I was saying those things to Joie, I didn't mean them. I was trying to comfort her because I care about her a lot,"

James raised his eyebrows as he listened to his friend's comment.

"Dude, you know what I mean. I care about her a lot, as a friend. And I know that you care about her too—"

"That's where you're wrong. I used to care a lot about her," James interrupted momentarily.

"Sure, whatever you say. I just said those things because I was assuming which, I know, made an ass out of her and me; I was assuming that you guys were just friends and I figured that those stupid rumors were pissing you guys off,"

"And that's why I'm barely legal, huh?"

"No, that was my big mouth going off. And in an attempt to make Joie feel better, I brought you down without meaning to. I'm sorry about that, man. For what it's worth, I know you're cool, bro. Joie and you completely deserve each other,"

James didn't know what to say. He wanted to stay angry at his friend but he understood that it was hard not to defend someone as significant as Joie. Their friendship was just as great as the one their character's, Lucas and Haley, had together.

--

Before Chad had gone to apologize to James, his mischievous girlfriend had grabbed Joie out of her apartment and forced her to hang out with her at the local mall. They walked languidly passing various stores, arms linked tightly, with Sophia enthusiastically pointing out anything and everything behind glass windows, to cheer up her morose friend. It was clearly visible that the holiday season was approaching quickly, as glittered snowflakes adorned every other storefront and reindeer hung sporadically throughout the mall. Sales were abundant in their red signs and discount prices and so many couples flaunted their pronounced love as they interlocked fingers and kissed a bit more publicly than usual. It sickened Joie just a tad more from her already disgusted temperament.

"So, Sunshine, what are your plans for the break?"

_Sunshine_ was another nickname that Sophia had endowed to her friend. This was because Joie naturally had blonde hair. To fit in her role as Haley James, her hair was dyed an auburn color. Ironically, _Sunshine_ also reflected upon the fact that she was known for her pleasant and usually happy disposition.

"Um, stay here and eat lots of fatty foods and go visit my family during Christmas so they can comment on how much weight that I've gained," she answered in a monotone voice.

The cheerful brunette suddenly grimaced.

"Ew! Not attractive, at all!"

"Does this look like the face of someone who cares?" Joie asked dryly.

"No need to be catty!" Sophia replied while jokingly scratching at her friend's arm.

After a few purchases and a couple hours had passed, they sat down in the food court to relax their legs. When you went shopping with Sophia, you went shopping!

"So, Princess, anything special you and Chad are doing?" Joie asked trying to hold an interest.

A huge grin appeared on Sophia's face.

"Actually, we do have something _very_ special planned,"

Joie rolled her eyes. As much difficulties as she was going through, her friend never ceased to boast about the 'perfect' relationship her and Chad had. She wanted to slap herself being so selfishly bitter.

Seeing the unenthused look on Joie's face, Sophia continued,

"We're going to a ski resort up in West Virginia for ten days. Actually, I know that it's short notice but I hadn't have the chance to ask you anytime earlier. We wanted to know if you'd like to come with,"

"And what… be the third wheel? Yeah, I don't think so,"

"No, silly! Um, actually, Hilarie is already planning to go with us."

Sophia tried her best to keep a straight face.

"I thought she was going home to see her boyfriend and family,"

"She is but after our ski trip," Sophia lied.

"Oh. Well, I still don't think—"

"Come on, Joie! Just because the _JL_s are having an _impermanent_ setback doesn't mean that one _JL_ has to be such a boring bum! Besides, we already have your ticket and a reservation for four, so consider it an early Christmas present,"

--

"_Princess, what are you trying to scheme up this time?"_

_She gave him a knowing smirk._

"_Oh please, you say scheme like it's a bad thing,"_

"_In your case, I think it's inevitable,"_

"_Ugh! I totally resent that, Mr. Murray!"_

_She slapped his arm slightly hard._

"_Ouch,"_

_Chad rubbed his arm overdramatically with an adorable pout that could only affect Sophia. But, not when she was in the middle of an incredible idea. She stuck her tongue out at him, teasingly._

"_That's what you get… hah!"_

_After a few more paces around the confinement of her bedroom, she grabbed her 'injured' boyfriend by the hand and led him to her computer desk. He sat down first and she followed by nestling right into his lap._

"_First, let's google a few things,"_

_Into the search engine, she typed in 'ski resorts'. An all-too broad range of ski lodges popped up and she frowned. She clicked on a few of the web links, checking out prices and available dates._

"_Ew…" she moaned frustrated._

_Chad gently removed her hands from the keyboard and replaced it was his._

"_Okay, so obviously you're looking for ski lodges, but what's your price range and how far are you trying to travel?"_

"_Well, I mean apart from that, you and I are going to have to like it too," she commented flirtatiously._

"_Huh?"_

"_Well, this is my idea—you and I on a sexy, fun, and private vacation to a conveniently hidden ski lodge with the exception of two people, James and Joie. We'll have to buy their tickets for them but I'm fine with it if you are."_

"_I am down! I'm definitely fine with covering them but, how exactly do you plan on having them come? I don't think that they'll be too excited about this…"_

"_Hey, hey… trust me, well actually, trust us because I've got Joie but you're going to have to help me with James."_

"_What?!" he cried out in disbelief._

--

Sophia was ecstatic. She'd just gotten off the phone with her boyfriend who was successful in apologizing to James as well as inviting him to join them on their ski trip. He had made a small fib that just the two guys would go, expenses covered by Chad because Sophia had bailed. Everyone knew that in reality, something like that would have never happened but he managed to pull it off. All the puzzle pieces were falling perfectly in place. As much as she enjoyed match-making, she was extra determined to bring James and Joie back together; what better way than to have the foursome go on a romantic getaway to a lonesome ski lodge? This way it would be nearly impossible for anyone of them to head back home and no one could resist a very typical winter romance.

--

Joie had her suitcase wide open on her bed as she looked through her closet. Somehow, her bouncy and relentless friend had convinced her to join the others for what seemed to be an innocent retreat. Although she was grateful for the vacation via Sophia, she was still upset that for the next two months she would not be able to make amends nor even see James. She sighed heavily at the thought and fell back onto her bed.

'This is going to be perfect for you. No James, no stress. Just fun and relaxation even if it's going to be temporary. Maybe time will let him forgive me.'

After a few minutes of blissful peace, she lifted herself up to blankly stare at the aged basketball that sat in the corner of her room. She had held onto it from that day too afraid to return it. In some way, it was a piece of James that she could still hold onto without ruining it, herself. She slowly got up from her bed and grabbed a sharpie on her bedroom nightstand. Heading over to where the ball was, she crossed her legs as she sat down pretzel-style, taking the basketball into her lap.

--

After weeks and weeks of neglect, James decided it was time to start getting his act together. He knew he lowered the chances of him and Joie renewing their friendship when she had tried to apologize that day, but trust didn't come back as easily the second time. He gathered dirty laundry while picking up pieces of garbage that lay on the floor. He felt like a new leaf was turning and he could start from fresh. He would enjoy himself on the trip with Chad. To top it off, he planned on avoiding girls and any stupid flings which he was quite familiar with from his earlier years in high school. After all, he had been the captain of the varsity basketball team.

This vacation would a relaxing one that would clear his head of Joie, Joie, and more Joie.

'After this trip, I'm done. I'm going to forget about her and maybe even forgive her. If she won't care about me the way I care about her, it's not enough for her. Chad lied, Joie Lenz deserves the best. And if she doesn't think I'm the best, then she deserves someone else.'

Of course, both James and Joie were totally oblivious of their fates that _seemingly_ lay in the hands of two individuals, Sophia Bush and Chad-Michael Murray.


	13. Sophia's Plan: Part B

Thanks to you readers and reviewers! I am glad you guys suggested that I continue with the story because I love how it's turning out. Hope you guys are enjoying this because I am! Tune in for the next chapter and you'll see how Sophia's plan unfolds. **xoxo**

Oops! Thank you **ifyouonlyknewthetruth** for pointing out that typo that I made. Haha! I was just as excited to write this as much as you guys were to read it and I completely overlooked that. Sorry!

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* * *

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Joie looked in bewilderment at the back of Sophia's car rental.

"Uh… where am I supposed to put _my_ bags? Which by the way I only have two,"

Joie put up two fingers for emphasis.

"Oh, Sunshine… you fail to remember that whereas I am not as eccentric as my infamous character, Brooke Davis, I… still… love… clothes!"

And she gave her a sarcastic smile. As Sophia walked away, she hid her face to stop herself from breaking out into laughter, considering that those extra bags really weren't hers' but Chad's. He didn't want to seem like such a girl in front of James.

'Haha… that's my baby!' she laughed to herself.

As both ladies made their way to the front of the car, Joie suddenly stopped.

"Hey! What about Chad and Hilarie? Where are they? I can't believe I forgot about them,"

"Oh… uh… well, Chad is actually going to meet us there, he had some errands to run but I wanted to get there early in the morning,"

"Okay… but what about Hil?"  
"Um… didn't she tell you? She already left to stop by her home real quick, you know, in Virginia and then she's leaving from there to meet us there too."

Joie eyeballed her friend accusingly.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Even though she was clueless of the actual situation, she guessed that something strange could possibly be going on. All the same, she shrugged off the feeling in her chest and hopped in the passenger seat alongside her friend.

'Whew,' Sophia sighed in sheer relief.

Immediately, Joie lay back comfortably, reclining her seat and grabbing her mp3 player from her purse.

Sophia was thankful that there weren't going to be anymore spontaneous questions she would have to answer. Her relaxed passenger-side friend began humming to the songs on her player, intermittently singing a line or two of the music. Suddenly, her music listening was disturbed when she felt her earphones being yanked away from her.

"Uh… since when, have you been such a kick ass singer?"

Joie hadn't noticed her friend gawking at her for the past few seconds. She just stared back blankly.

"I'm not a kick ass singer. But, I do sing and write my own songs sometimes. I think I've already told you this, Princess. Now focus on the road!"

She tried not to blush at her friend's remark. Who doesn't love a compliment, especially on a somewhat hidden talent?

"Okay, Sunshine Sing-a-Long, you have so _not_ told me anything about this wonderful ability you have. But, I'll let it pass… for now."

Sophia was even more enthusiastic about the trip. Her plan was deepening even further than she had expected it too. An uncontrollable grin appeared on her face. Joie was still looking at her friend, now confused by the sudden smile on her friend's face.

After what seemed too long of a silence between the two girls, Joie took off her headphones.

"Before I got into the whole filming industry," She paused to see if she had her friend's attention and continued, "I just wanted to sing,"

Sophia's continuously scheming thoughts were unexpectedly disrupted.

"So how'd you end up doing this?"

"I don't know… my singing career was very slow and pursuing acting seemed like the best thing to do at the time. I mean, it was easier than trying to get a label or having a sound that appeals to mass audiences, you know?"

"But you've been quite the successful one as an actress, I have to say."

"Oh, darling… just tell me I'm the best."

"Oh God, talk about not knowing how to take a compliment,"

Sophia rolled her eyes and playfully stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"What are you trying to imply, Princess?"

"Gross!"

They couldn't help but to giggle at themselves and their kid-like banter. The two had grown extremely attached to one another. Their roles as Brooke Davis and Haley James were ironic because it required Sophia's character to give Joie's a bit of hell as their relationship developed. It was completely opposite in real life because the pair had a strong bond unlike any of the others at work.

"You know, they're talking about involving the singer/performer persona of Haley on the show…" she proudly mentioned.

"Nah uh… you are joking! That would be amazing and you get a little exposure as a bonus, huh?"

"Yeah, but don't you think it would be weird? When I come out as a singer, I want to be known as Joie Lenz, not Haley James."

"But come on, I know you're a great person, and so will _One Tree Hill_ fans. Joie Lenz… you are destined for greatness, I promise you that much,"

Joie couldn't help but to smile at her friend's sincerity in her uplifting words.

"You really are a good friend to me, Sophia, you know that?"

"Well, I do try," she beamed happily.

--

"James! James!"

It was around eight o'clock in the morning and Chad was struggling to wake his friend up. James was clearly a deep sleeper. Chad exited the bedroom only to return with a cup, barely filled with water. He splashed the small amount on his resting friend who woke up on the spot.

"Aw, shit. What the hell?"

James rubbed his eyes feeling the wetness all over his face.

"Get up! We gotta head out soon or else we're going to be hit with holiday traffic,"

Still not fully conscious, James groaned and slowly retreated to his bathroom, locking the door behind him.

"You better hurry, Lafferty!"

After James had finished showering up, Chad went to go start his car up to get the heating going. James let him know that he'd come out with his things soon after. He walked over to his glass sliding patio door. Scooting the blinds over, something brownish-orange caught his eye. He opened the sliding door to see the basketball that he had left at the court that day. He'd forgotten about it until now. As he picked it up slowly, he noticed a black-ink scribing was on it.

_11/2003_

_Dear James,_

_Hey! I'm sorry that I wrote on your ball. What can I say, I'm original._

_Okay, not funny. But I just wanted to wish you happy holidays since I_

_probably won't be seeing you anytime soon. Stay in good health and_

_have fun with your family and friends. I'm sorry we went our separate_

_ways on break without me properly apologizing. Maybe time will let_

_you not forgive perhaps, but accept my sorry._

_I'll miss you! See you when break is over!_

_XOXO, Joie_

--

Chad began to dial his phone as soon as he had stepped out of James' apartment.

--

Gazing through the glass window, Joie quietly enjoyed the beautiful passing scenery.

The peaceful tranquility was broken by the obnoxious pop song that rang on Sophia's cell phone.

"Hmm… it's Chad, one second."

She picked up the phone.

"Hey, baby!"

"I'm at you-know-who's house and we'll be leaving soon. Everything is going according to your brilliant plan, I must say."

"What?! Hilarie can't go?!" Sophia falsely cried out.

"Who's my princess?"

Chad teased his girlfriend on the other line as she performed a fake conversation to convince Joie.

"What friend?"

"Who's my sugar mama?"

"Oh… okay. Alright then, I'll see you there,"

"I love you, Princess,"

"I love you too, babes," and Sophia nervously smiled hanging up the phone.

Joie gaped at her friend, waiting for her to let her in on what had just happened.

Sophia glanced at Joie briefly preparing herself to feign anger.

"What the hell?!" Sophia screamed dramatically.

Joie winced afraid of the fury the crazy brunette would surely unleash.

"What's wrong, hun?"

"Well, seems like our precious Goldilocks decided that she couldn't go. She's sick, supposedly and now we have one of Chad's friends going with us instead."

"What?!"

This time Joie was the one who was angry.

Sophia attempted to focus on the road, afraid of what would happen if her tiny friend found out the truth of the situation. She uneasily watched as her friend grabbed for her own mobile.

"That's it, I'm calling her!"

"Calling who? Hilarie?"

"Duh,"

"Good luck, after she got off the phone with Chad she said she was passing out,"

Sophia thanked the heavens up above that she had let Hilarie in on their plan and had her ignore any calls to her cell all day long, which she had no problem with.

Determined and pissed off, Joie called three or four times but was unsuccessful.

"Wait, if Hilarie isn't going then who is?"

--

"Whoa, what do you mean there's more people coming?" James asked alarmed.

Chad noticed that they had driven out far enough to break him the news, just like he and Sophia had planned.

"My bad, but there was a little bit of a change in plans,"

"Okay…"

James waited for the dreaded answer. He already sensed that he knew who else was coming.

"Well, Sophia is going to be coming after all. And she's bringing one of her friends along with her, not sure who it is,"

"Oh," he replied shortly after.

Oddly enough, he was disappointed that it wouldn't be Joie. But he knew that Chad and Sophia were smart enough to not invite Joie based on his own behavior. Technically, it was his fault that she would not be there.

"You don't mind do you?" Chad asked.

"No, it's cool, bro,"

"Yeah… and you never know. You could hit it off with her friend, whoever it may be,"

Chad allowed his comment to sink before he got the responsive death glare from his dark-haired friend.

"Like that is going to be happening anytime soon…"

"Hey, man… you just don't ever know… that's all I'm saying,"

--

"Sophia, you had better tell me who Chad's friend is or else!" Joie threateningly yelled.

"Will you chill out? And please do not threaten me, Sunshine Lenz! I'm thinking about taking that nickname back… it most certainly does not fit you. Anyway, I really don't know so I can't answer your question anyway. It was at the last minute so obviously they haven't even had the chance to meet me yet and I'm Chad's girlfriend for God's sake. Can you imagine that—not introducing _me_ to one of his friends? Hah!"

Crossing her arms, Joie mumbled every curse word that she knew.

She had hoped that it would be James, as doubtful as she was. But James would have never agreed to come out if he knew that Joie was attending. The basketball that she had written on was a means of a friendly apology and maybe it was best that she left that way. In effect, she had avoided another rejection and given him time to really think about how sorry she really was. She knew that she would be thinking about him constantly until break was over.

To make it even worse the person coming along was someone she had never met before. So, while Chad and Sophia spent their romantic holiday trip together, she'd be stuck with who-knows-what.

"Wait a second; you wouldn't be trying to enforce some weird, sick kind of blind date with this total stranger, would you?" Joie disgustingly asked.

"No! That's not at all what we're trying to do. I mean we had an extra ticket and since there was no other girl we could replace Hilarie with, by _my_ choice, we had Chad's guy friend as a replacement."

"Okay… good,"

"But if sparks do fly between you two, you might not want to threaten me but thank me, okay?"

Sophia smiled to herself thinking,

'And trust me, sparks will fly.'

--

The boys had finally made it to the resort. As they stepped out of the car they stretched their legs, having been cramped for several hours. James took a breath of fresh air and exhaled vapors as the heat from his breath had hit the cold air.

"So what do you think, bro?" Chad asked scanning the beautiful scene surrounding them.

"Not too shabby," James replied and he lightly punched his friend in the shoulder.

"Not too shabby? Whatever, man. But, hey—check out where we're going to staying,"

Chad pointed to the grand cabin lodge built sturdy of stone and logs that stood atop a hill. There were a lot of people but he and Sophia had been informed that not very many stayed at the lodge. Most of the visitors were pretty local to the area and came on day-long trips instead. Knowing how much they paid for the 10-day package, they both understood why it was rare to stay there, especially if you lived close by.

With their belongings slung over their shoulders, they made their way up the hill to sign in as well as to meet with Sophia and 'her friend'.

--

Joie was blown by the lavishness of the rooms that her friends had booked. There was one king-size bed carved of oak, with intricate designs of foliage engraved. A matching set of a vanity and a closet stood against the walls with plenty of room for a huge flat-screen television to sit across the bed. The royal beige carpet was soft and lush with a smaller oriental rug laid out underneath the bed. She hadn't even seen the bathroom yet!

'Damn, these kids sure do know how to travel,'

She lay back on the down comforter that covered the enormous bed and sighed in relief. She was a bit tired from the trip but overall she was just glad to have come. She had simply entered her room and she already got the feeling that the trip wasn't going to bad after all. She would completely concentrate on making herself happy and enjoy good times with even greater friends.

The door knob to the front door was jiggling and Joie ran up to open it for Sophia.

"Sophia, this place is ama—zing," she finished quietly.

"Joie?"

A baffled and lost James stood at the front door with his backpack and suitcase.

Joie's jaw dropped at the sight of him.

"James?"


	14. Making Amends

"_Joie?"_

_A baffled and lost James stood at the front door with his backpack and suitcase._

_Joie's jaw dropped at the sight of him._

"_James?"_

The two stared at each other blankly before slow coming to grips with the fact that their friends had set them up.

"Yeah, so… I was told that it was one of Sophia's girlfriends,"

Mentally Joie was irritated that he came solely based on Joie's absence and the attendance of a non-existent girlfriend of Sophia's. But she threw him the best smile that she could.

"Yeah, she told me that it was going to be Hilarie and then that she cancelled and it would be one of Chad's guy friends or something,"

Jealousy blazed in James' crystal blue eyes momentarily but he remained calm.

"Disappointed?"

His voice dripped with smug sarcasm.

Joie couldn't help but to ignore his attitude and quietly answered, "No,"

Her reply was unexpected to both of them, leaving them to stand in silence for what seemed like very long seconds.

"Sorry," he suddenly apologized.

She looked up at him, making direct eye contact.

"Don't be,"

Despite the awkwardness between them, neither felt the need to find and murder their friends. Instead, they both silently thanked them for having invited the other on the trip.

"Can I… uh, come in?" James asked uncertainly.

Joie bit her lip, a bad habit that occurred whenever she was nervous.

"Oh… uh… yeah, sure,"

She stepped back to allow him in, while holding the door open. He let his backpack slide off his shoulder and dropped it on the floor beside his suitcase. He admired the same qualities of the room that Joie had.

Feeling a bit more comfortable, Joie casually asked,

"Any clue as to where Mr. and Mrs. Matchmaker are?"

"Nope,"

"You have to admit, they got us pretty good,"

James simply nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for bringing my ball back,"

Joie had forgotten about the note she had left before she had gone. She suddenly felt the warmth growing in her cheeks.

"No problem. I hope you liked the note,"

"I did. Thank you for that also,"

She smiled at him in sheer appreciation. Seeing the look on her face made James' heart melt. He had missed seeing her truly happy and he didn't want her to stop feeling that way.

"Joie… I just wanted to let you know that, I do forgive you. Chad explained the circumstances and everything so…"

"Screw the circumstances. What I did was wrong."

Joie didn't even have to second guess that Chad had found out the truth of the matter from his dearly beloved girlfriend.

"I mean, yeah, what you did was wrong. But, the past is past and all we can do is look back and regret. I'm ready to forgive you but I'm letting you know right now that, I'm not here to make the same mistake again, okay?" he said honestly.

She understood. She understood fully that he wasn't there to have his heart broken again by her. She wasn't going to let it happen; she would protect James from herself as difficult as it was going to be.

--

Sophia glanced down at her watch while tapping her right foot.

"How much longer do you think we have to wait before they decide they're not going to kill us?" she whined impatiently.

Chad was lying on the bed, tired by his girlfriend's obsession with their friends' relationship issues.

"Princess, it's only been thirty minutes. Come to bed, please!" he complained.

"Chad, have some etiquette! They could be ripping each other's heads off for all we know; or maybe each other's clothes. Hmm… don't you think we need to check up on them?" she sneakily proposed.

He rolled his eyes in agony, wishing that his girlfriend would pay more attention to him. Then all of a sudden, a terrific idea dawned upon him. He picked up the phone on the nightstand next to their bed and pressed '0'.

"Hi, I'm staying up here in room 2A. Fine, thank you. Could I have some of your chocolate covered strawberries, along with some sparkling champagne? Also, could I get the same delivered to room 3E? Yes. Um, you don't have to make it anonymous, but just please don't tell them our room number. Thank you,"

Sophia had stopped staring at her watch when her boyfriend had picked up the phone. A grin had slowly formed as she continued to listen to the conversation Chad was having with the front desk. As soon as he had hung up, she threw herself onto the bed and immediately started making out with her man. After a few minutes of passionate kissing and groping, they pulled away reluctantly to catch their breaths.

"Boyfriend, have I ever told you how sexy you are when you take control,"

"Girlfriend, I don't know if you've ever _told_ me, but you have definitely just _shown_ me,"

--

There was a light tapping on the bedroom door followed by a cheery voice.

"Room service!"

James and Joie had been quietly unpacking their belongings, placing them into drawers and when the silence was broken, they looked at each other strangely.

"Did you order room service?" Joie asked her roommate.

He shook his head.

"Did you?"

"Nope,"

"I'll handle it," James replied.

Then he walked over to the front doorway opening it halfway, thus blocking Joie's view. She could hear talking but didn't quite understand what was being said.

James was stunned to see a primped and polished looking delivery boy standing behind a fancy cart that held a sterling silver ice bucket with ice and what looked like a bottle of champagne. Next to it was a similar silver platter covered with a curved lid.

"Uh… we didn't order that,"

"We know, sir. Actually, it was a gift from another one of the guests staying here—a Mr. Murray."

"Oh… um, thanks, I guess."

"You are very welcome, sir."

"Hey, do you know in which room Mr. Murray is staying?"

"Yes we do, sir, but he requested that to stay private. Enjoy your evening, sir."

And with that, the delivery boy left, leaving James speechless.

He pulled the cart into their room after looking down both ends of the hall to see if either Chad or Sophia were there.

Joie's eyes widened as she got up from where she sitting on the bed.

"What the hell is that?"

"A gift, courtesy of Chad and Sophia."

"Splendid." Joie stated sarcastically.

They laughed incredulously.

James shrugged his shoulders and commented,

"Shit, it's food, right?"

He removed the cover off of the platter only to be even more shocked.

"Mm… chocolate covered strawberries," Joie said seductively.

Then she slowly picked up the plumpest one from the plate as James watched with anticipation. She softly bit into it, her voluptuous lips curved around the fruit. A bit of chocolate smeared on her bottom lip.

"Don't you want some, James?"

She batted her eyelashes at him while she brought the same piece of the fruit, that she had just taken a bite of, to his own lips.

"Mm… doesn't it taste… delectable, James?" she asked huskily.

Suddenly James snapped back to reality as he heard Joie cry out,

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

**He had been imagining the entire scene.**

'But she just had the fruit… with the lips… and the chocolate… and the sexy voice… damn it!' He thought wretchedly.

"Yeah… they just don't know when to stop, do they?" he added in a frustrated tone, which she mistook for anger towards their plotting friends.

After they were done unpacking their things, they relaxed on the bed. They both stared at the cart that seemed to beckon their names. A few minutes later they were greedily grabbing strawberries off the platter. The television was playing in the background as the two sipped on their glasses of the bubbly beverage and munched on dessert. James watched as she ate the fruit much more hungrily and less seductively from before. He pouted to himself.

"Hey, I have an idea," Joie said suddenly.

There was chocolate on her bottom lip that caused James to chuckle.

"What?" she asked confused.

Without thinking, he brought his hand close to her face, using his thumb to wipe off the chocolate on her lower lip. Joie felt a tingling sensation where he had touched her and watched with envy as he licked his thumb to clean off the chocolate.

'Damn your thumb! Lick me!' she thought briefly.

James smirked as he saw the signature glowing of her cheeks.

"You were saying…"

"Oh, uh… yeah, um… I was saying that I have an idea."

She tried to go back to concentrating on her proposal.

"Okay…"

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I think it could be fun, okay?"

"Go ahead,"

"Well, maybe we should kind of play along with Sophia and Chad…"

"What do you mean?" James inquired curiously.

She smiled innocently at James.

"All I'm saying is that… they lied to us and went behind our backs to get you and I to be friends again. Obviously, they aren't stopping with us just being friends," she pointedly looked at the cart.

James' ears perked up, now completely interested.

"And… to get back at them, we should pretend to be _more_ than friends?"

"What do you say, Lafferty? Deal?"

"Deal,"

And they firmly gripped each others' hands for a shake.

James and Joie were just glad to be on good terms once again. They continued to hide their raw wanting of each other by covering it up with a congenial friendship. What they didn't acknowledge was that if they did pretense their renewed bond for a serious relationship, it could easily make or break them.

--

An hour or so had passed and now both Sophia and Chad could no longer hide their impatience.

"I'm gonna call them," Sophia piped up.

"Yeah, do it!"

She picked up the phone and dialed their room extension.

James answered on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Did you guys enjoy the strawberries and champagne?" she asked teasingly.

"Yeah, thanks,"

"Good,"

"Oh and uh… thanks for inviting us both here. Oh, hey Sophia, I gotta go. We're kind of busy! Bye!"

And he hung up the phone abruptly.

Sophia's jaw dropped instantly in pure astonishment.

"What happened? What happened?"

Chad's facial expression resembled the look on a child's face who was anxiously awaiting his first piece of candy ever.

A huge smile appeared on his girlfriend's face.

She simply replied, "Mission accomplished."


	15. Elsewhere

Ooh! I love the great reponse to the most recent chapters! Thanks for the constant support! There's another note at the bottom, so check it out! **xoxo**  
**OTH.daddy'sgurl.06** and **jr forever**, thank you for pointing out my mistakes! Argh... I can't believe I did that again! I hate it when I do that.

**

* * *

**

Since the foursome had arrived late in the afternoon, they agreed to skip the skiing for one day and enjoy an elegant dinner together. Chad and Sophia had arranged for the four of them to eat at a restaurant that was an extension of the lodge itself. Around five o'clock, the deviating couple had come to James and Joie's room. Sophia whisked Joie to her room telling her to bring the essentials such as undergarments, shoes, jewelry, etc. Joie could only provide a pair of simple pointed-toe black pumps. She had no jewelry much less an outfit to dine in such a restaurant. But Sophia was far ahead of the game and had packed extras. Chad was already changed and hung around in James' room, as his friend got ready for dinner.

"So, been busy much, Sunshine?" Sophia happily asked.

"Been nosy much?"

"Aw, come on, you have to let me in on the juicy details!"

"Well… I am assuming that since you and your ever-so-sweet-boyfriend decided to book a room so that the _JL_'s could have some privacy… we're going to have to keep the juicy details private."

Sophia's jaw dropped dramatically in complete displeasure.

"First of all, we _did_ book the room, and second, you did not just talk about yourselves in third person,"

Joie clasped her hands together, bringing them tightly to her chest.

"But, I can't help it! Every time that I see him, it's like falling for him over and over again,"

She sighed like a lovesick puppy.

Her completely speechless friend just shook her head in pity. She grabbed Joie by the arm and led her to the closet, where she had hung up several dresses for her friend to try on. First she pulled out a wine-colored halter dress that came just below the knees. Joie shook her head in side to side. Next she brought out a pastel blue piece.

She received a "Hell no,"

After looking at several other dresses, Joie agreed upon a black strapless that brushed the tops of the feet and clung perfectly to every curve of her body. A sexy slit ran up to her lower thigh. Her chestnut-colored waves were straightened except for the tips that curled elegantly. Sophia was accessorized beyond belief as she pulled out fake white rosebuds to pin throughout her friend's hair. She also provided a sterling silver wire necklace of white pearl drops and matching earrings.

For herself, she chose a deep turquoise halter dress, with a low cut in the front and adorned with beautiful crystal beads and sequins to form a flower on her right hip. She had pin-curled her do to show off her shoulders that she dusted lightly with body shimmer.

"Damn, you definitely know how to work that dress," Joie commented on her friend's outfit.

"Too bad you looking fabulous in my own!"

"How about a truce? We both look pretty darn sexy, don't we agree?"

And both girls nodded at their reflections as they put on the finishing touches of makeup.

--

"So… what happened?"

Chad asked as James finished putting on his tie. The blonde-haired boy had been watching television, as his friend got ready for the fancy dinner.

"Oh, come on, bro,"

"What? You mean Joie and me?"

"Duh,"

"Nothing. We were just kind of forced to get along and we did!"

"Whatever. Just give me the details later."

"Not a chance,"

The guys were done in about thirty minutes and had gone downstairs to wait for the ladies. They stood patiently in their sharp, crisp suits receiving many wistful stares from women passing by. As they conversed amongst themselves, Joie and Sophia stepping out of the elevator and into full view. James had his back to them whereas Chad had obviously noticed. He had stopped talking and remained stunned by the sight of the two girls, more so Sophia. James turned around immediately only to forget what they had been talking about it. Joie looked beautiful and he knew that pretending to be back with Joie wasn't going to be difficult at all. He turned quickly and patted Chad on the shoulder before walking over to his date, a bright smile glued to his face.

Joie melted when she saw how sexy James was dressed for the occasion. He had on an athletic-fit black suit with white pinstripes that accentuated his broad shoulders and chest. Underneath his coat he sported a white button-up shirt and an impressive white tie. His hair was tousled perfectly with hair gel. But it was definitely the smile he wore that had made those butterflies in her stomach appear.

The pair stared at each other nervously getting lost in attraction to each other. Then James realized he should probably be more of a gentleman, offering his arm to 'his lady'. Chad and Sophia were too busy swooning over each other when suddenly the eccentric brunette noticed the other couple.

"Lafferty! You're not even going to kiss your sexy mama despite how hot she looks?" She scolded him.

Joie's cheeks reddened at her friend's remark. Then, somewhat scornfully she stated,

"Uh… Princess, I am far from a sexy mama and we're not into PDA (public display of affection) as much as you and Chad are,"

"Actually, I have to agree with Sophia this time," James grinned at a surprised Joie.

Then he brought his face down to meet hers' and their lips met in a soft but firm kiss. She was totally thrown off by this sudden action and in response her legs felt like they were going to crumble beneath her. Pleased by their quite public kiss, Chad and Sophia walked swiftly towards the restaurant.

Still locking arms with Joie, James began to follow but she pulled him back, gesturing for them to have a private chat.

"Why… why did you do that?"

James stared into her eyes, his own, full of concern.

"Did I go too far? We're trying to be believable right?"

"Oh… yeah, right. Maybe we can give them another one later…"

She attempted to conceal the disappointment in her voice.

James smiled at her as they continued to follow the other couple.

'She looks gorgeous. I wish I could tell her how beautiful she looks without her thinking it's weird. I wish I could tell her that I wanted to kiss her and that's why I did it. Stop being a pansy, Lafferty!'

"Joie, you look really great tonight. But you probably already knew that… from when I was staring at you,"

She beamed at him and replied, "Thanks, James. Actually, I thought I had a booger or something on my face! Haha… ew! Just kidding! But, you look very handsome tonight, too."

'Should I do it? Do it! Come on… it's not going to hurt anyone,'

Joie followed her instinct by bring her face to his and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek. Instantly James' cheeks warmed a little, glowing slightly.

As they continued into the restaurant, they were taken aback by the striking attention and detail to everything—from the chandeliers to the silverware used. At the very front of the ballroom-sized restaurant, a low stage sat. Atop of the stage there was an elegant grand piano accompanied by a talented player softly hitting the keys, seemingly creating the dreamy atmosphere. This particularly caught the attention of Joie, mesmerized by the piano player's magic.

--

The four sat down at circular table and immediate service was delivered. As they sat, they talked about work, family, friends, their plans for the holidays and hints on what they personally wanted. The entire time, James and Joie felt the tension that had once separated them, slowly begin to fall apart. He smiled at her jokes and comments like he used to and there were no more false smiles of empty emotions. The agreement of their make-believe relationship that they had made seemed so far away now and it sat in the very bottom of her mind. Everything seemed so real.

As the foursome enjoyed each other's company, laughing away, they were oblivious of the hostess that stood directly behind Joie.

"Excuse me, Ms. Lenz?"

Joie turned around with a curious smile on her face.

"Yes, that would be me,"

"We're ready for your performance whenever you are,"

"I'm sorry, my what?"

Looking sweetly at the hostess, Sophia quickly interrupted,

"Could you excuse us for a minute? She'll be up soon,"

The hostess nodded and walked away leaving a befuddled Joie.

"What's going on, Sophia?"

Sophia stood up and took her friend by the arm away from their table. The two boys shrugged their shoulders to continue devouring their dishes.

"Okay, I have one more thing to surprise you with,"

Joie did not look amused.

"What?"

"I signed you up to… sing."

"What?! Oh, no, no, no. This is _not_ happening!"

"But you have to! I signed you up and… can you believe there's actually a reservation list for this thing? Apparently a lot of tourists like to perform in front of big audiences…"

"Back on subject, Princess!"

"Right… oh, come on! Earlier in the car you talked about singing like it was your life. Now, you act like I just gave you the death sentence or something!"

Joie took a deep breath.

"James will definitely be incredibly impressed too!" Sophia added.

Joie's jaw tightened as she looked nervously around the room, as if help would be out there somewhere. She looked towards their table occupied by Chad and James. Giving Sophia a half-smile, she finally hissed,

"Give me fifteen minutes! Nothing more… but nothing less!"

Sophia clapped her hands in glee before dashing off to inform the hostess.

--

Chad, Sophia, and James sat around the table noticing that the lights were beginning to dim.

"Sophia, where is Joie?" James asked concerned.

"You'll see," she replied cheerfully.

At that moment, a bright spotlight turned to the left of the stage. Everyone enjoying their dinners paused to see who would come out. James gasped silently as he watched Joie walk gracefully across the stage floor. The spotlight followed her every move as she gently seated herself behind the grand piano.

A hidden speaker suddenly announced in a low voice,

"Ladies and gentlemen, Joie Lenz."

She looked out into the crowd before speaking into the microphone,

"To James, the man who taught me how to grow up,"

She smiled to herself before her fingers glided against the smoothness of the piano keys. Her voice broke the hushed silence of the ballroom and initially began softly, increasing in volume and intensity.

"I love the time and in between

the calm inside me

in the space where I can breathe.

I believe there is a

distance I have wandered

to touch upon the years of

reaching out and reaching in.

Holding out, holding in.

I believe…"

When James had her dedication, an uncontrollable and overwhelming feeling flowed through his veins. It was gratitude because he was lucky enough that all the events in his life had led up to this very moment. Along with the entire audience, he listened, utterly entranced by the honesty and purity of her voice. She seemed to caress the piano keys so perfectly that they obeyed her command, playing in sync with her voice. Tears formed in her eyes as she felt the emotion building up in her and as she came to the last verse, her lip began to quiver.

"I… I believe…

this is heaven to no one… no one else… but… but me."

Although it sounded as if the song had ended, her three friends, specifically James, knew that something was wrong. She spoke into the microphone shortly after, preventing the audience from applauding.

"I'm sorry… I can't do this,"

* * *

I'm sure for most of the _One Tree Hill_ fans, you already know but just to let those that don't—the song that Joie is singing is _Elsewhere_, by Sarah McLachlan. Not at all owned or affliated with me. It is the first song that Haley sings just for Nathan, so I thought that it might appropriate. Enjoy! **xoxo**


	16. Losing to a Lie

"_I'm sorry… I can't do this,"_

Joie had slipped back behind the stage curtain. Her body was frozen, with a mortified look on her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing for that very moment to suddenly turn into next week. The remainder of her tears streamed down her reddened cheeks. Her hands were at her side, nervously smoothing out the soft material of the borrowed dress.

She hadn't meant to break down like that in the middle of her performance. Of course she had been nervous but who doesn't feel that way being put in a position like that? Typically, she overcame her fears because of her devotion to singing. It was because it was her first time letting herself go, allowing her soul to be put on display, in front of _him_.

When she chose to dedicate the song to James it had been a gesture of asking forgiveness. It didn't hurt that Sophia and Chad would interpret it as an act of affection. But as she went through the verses of one of her favorite songs, it struck her that no matter how much they pretended, she wasn't with him. And she lied to herself thinking her dedication had been to add another apology to the list of the ones she had given. Rather, a realization had hit her square in the face—it was because Joie Lenz had fallen in love.

She had left behind a puzzled audience that could only reply in a thunderous applause. As the crowd applauded, James had gotten up from his seat, ready to run to her side, 'pretend boyfriend' or not. The smiles that had once been on the faces of her friends had vanished. But Chad placed a soothing hand on his girlfriend's to allow James to placate 'his own' in a time of need.

"She needs you…"

James listened to his friend's words wistfully.

He walked swiftly to the room behind the stage to look for her. As he snuck in quietly, he found a little girl crouching closely to the floor and holding herself tightly. It was as if she were trying to protect her vulnerability from the entire world. Immediately he knelt down to sit beside her. Joie focused her attention to the wall, her face tear-stained and expressionless.

"James?"

"Yeah, Joie,"

He softly tucked away locks of her hair that had been covering her face, behind her ear.

"I just got scared,"

"What were you scared of?" he asked warily.

"All the people…" she lied.

"It was just stage fright?"

"Uh huh… I just freaked out at the end… for some reason,"

They both sat frumpily together, their legs lazily laid out, and directing their gaze on something non-existent, in front of them. The pair appeared incredibly out of place in their lavish outfits, propped comfortably on the floor with unattractive frowns on their faces. James had his arm draped casually over her as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

--

As Joie fingered through gloves in the ski shop located near the lodge, she suddenly mentioned,

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you guys… I've never done this before,"

"What?!"

Chad and Sophia cried out in unison.

Snaking his arm around Joie, James spoke into her ear, loud enough for the frantic couple to hear.

"Lucky for you, I am quite experienced,"

She blushed feverishly, unaware that he had been so close.

"Get a room! Oh, which you already have, so save it for before bedtime and after hang-out-with-Chad-and-Sophia-time!" Sophia growled.

Joie blew her girlfriend an air-kiss.

"Or maybe… somebody else needs to get laid," James winked at Sophia, making Chad's face redden this time.

Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Joie, do you think you're going to need lessons?"

"Um… I don't know…" she meekly replied.

"It's just… I don't know how much it's going to be…"

"I wouldn't mind giving you a free lesson!"

The foursome turned around to follow the voice of the stranger who had interrupted their conversation with an offer. A handsome boy walked up to them. He had sandy hair with hazel green eyes, a tan complexion, and resembled more of a surfer than a skier.

Feeling threatened by this unknown individual, James kept his arms around Joie, tighter, if possible.

"That's alright, _dude_," he coldly answered.

The boy continued to advance towards their group, particularly, James and Joie. Standing only a foot away from the unsuspecting couple he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, but if this pretty little lady gets injured, don't put the blame on me. All she had to do was invest some time in _free_ lessons," he challenged James.

Revolted by the tone that this fellow was using with her, Joie sneered at him,

"How about you take your 'pretty little lady' and shove it up your—"

"She'll take it," Sophia chimed in.

"Sophia!" Joie whined.

"What? Nobody needs you crippled only on the second day of the trip! Right, James?"

She nudged the jealous and now embarrassed James. He coughed to excuse himself from having to say anything.

Leaving James' side, Joie walked towards Sophia linking their arms together. As the two walked away she hissed at her girlfriend.

"Oh, Princess," she began sweetly. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The scandalous brunette smirked knowingly at Joie.

"This is perfect! Do you know how jealous James is right now?"

"Uh… no shit, Sherlock!"

"Well, if you really are that impotent of seeing the bigger picture let me explain it to you. Number one, you need lessons because they're free and I'm not taking responsibility for your death. Number two, this will solidify James' _love_ for you! And number three, sexy, I've-been-surfing-all-day-long-beach-boy, over there, ain't all that bad on the eyes," Sophia reasoned.

"You're impossible and wait… what did you mean by _love_?"

Her hearted had quickened its pace when she'd heard her friend use that word. Did James feel just as she felt?

'It can't be… we're just pretending…' she thought regretfully.

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

Joie frowned at her friend's last comment.

"Whatever… I'll do it," she said, not caring anymore.

The two girls walked back, Joie more sulkily, to join the three guys who had watched in uncomfortable silence.

"She's in... whatever-your-name-is,"

"Nate,"

"Short for Nathan?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah…"

"Wow, what a coincidence,"

Chad shook his head from side to side.

"Okay, Princess… how about we leave everything else to divine intervention,"

He dragged Sophia away from the drama that was about to play out.

--

The day had been horrendously long and for a first time experience, Joie did not enjoy skiing at all. Apart from the bickering between Chad and Sophia and the death glares she had to constantly give Nate, she had a huge headache. Not to mention that she had James in the forefront of her mind, driving her insane. They had all decided to end the day by relaxing in one of private hot tubs.

James had come out before everyone else and had contentedly lay back, resting his head. He had slipped into a brief moment of slumber, failing to hear the footsteps of Joie. She came out in a simple black string bikini and had tied her hair in a loose bun atop her head. Seeing that it was just James and her for the time being, she sauntered her way to the unconscious boy. Paying close attention to his figure in the Jacuzzi, she was unable to see his heavy sneakers that had been sitting in the middle of the floor. She tripped over them but was able to catch her clumsy self. Unfortunately, she had woken up James who caught her in an awkward position.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I was walking until you decided to leave your stupid shoes here, of all places,"

She raised herself off the floor, her cheeks glowing brightly at her humiliation.

'Ugh… that's what I get for trying to be sexy,'

Being able to fully see her in scantily clad swimwear, James was sitting upright now, staring obviously. He gulped, what had felt like a stone lodged in his throat. Her rosy cheeks only added to her beautifully seductive appearance. Her shapely legs were soft and bare that led up to her curvy hips, covered daintily by the bottoms of her bikini, tied at the sides. Her bust was barely clothed with a bikini top, seemingly waiting to be torn off, that led down to her smooth and flat stomach. She looked gorgeous. But James had grown accustom to controlling his desires when it came to Joie.

She lowered herself into the hot tub, noticing the intimidating gaze coming from James' eyes.

"Okay… I know I'm pretty hot and all… but I'm seriously beginning to think I have something on my face or something,"

She sat herself directly across from him.

"Hey, I think we both know who the hotter one out of the two of us is," he snickered.

He'd gotten so riled up from earlier in the day, having to deal with that dirty son-of-a-bitch, Nate.

'What a coincidence, my ass,' he thought.

The kid was a jerk, asking for a pounding from James. But Joie seemed to handle herself so well that he ended up being amused by the lessons. She never gave him the time to even hit on her and if he tried to step past his boundaries, she'd shoot him the nastiest looks. If looks could kill, that Nate guy would have been dead about fifty times in a row.

As Joie became settled into the warmth of the water, she felt James feet brush hers'.

"I'm shocked! Are you playing footsie with me, Mr. Lafferty!" she teasingly mocked.

"You wish, Lenz,"

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, but you know I do,"

She blew him a kiss.

"Come here,"

James tapped the seat next to his, gesturing for her to place herself there. Her eyebrow rose inquisitively, but she scooted over, close to him like he had suggested. Slowly, he lifted his left arm up to place around her petite frame, possessively.

"Well, aren't we comfortable?" Joie suddenly said, enjoying the feel of his strong arm.

"Oh… you know, so when Chad and Sophia come out, there'll be some _JL_-action to witness,"

He gave an excuse for his action, even though he had done it just to do it.

Joie nodded, sighing deeply. Just because he had done it to prove something to _Idiot #1_ and _#2_, that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy it.

"Hey! Wait a minute… how'd you know about the _JL_s?"

"Who doesn't?" James said while showing off that signature smirk.

"Ew… whatever,"

"It doesn't hurt that Sophia is so loud that she sucks at whispering,"

"Lafferty! I totally heard that!"

A disheveled Sophia came out, wrapped in only a towel, her usually perfect brunette locks mussed up. Chad came out following her, his swim trunks wrinkled. The mesh fabric underneath was sloppily showing.

"Watch it, bro!" Chad jokingly pointed a finger at James.

"Oh, and Sunshine… the bubbly is on its way. Maybe it'll help you actually enjoy your time with boy toy,"

She stuck her tongue out while Chad reached for her hand. The two turned around, returning to the locker room from where they had come.

"Where are you two going?" Joie called out.

Sophia instantly turned around and answered with a smile.

"It's called make-up sex! Learn it, live it, love it!"

And the two made their way back inside.

James and Joie looked at each other, realizing they had the same disgusted looks on their faces. Joie shrugged.

"They _were_ fighting a lot today," she said to their defense.

She was still leaning against James' hard chest, his bicep still curled protectively around her. Although both noticed that it wasn't necessary any longer, neither said a word. As an uneasy silence fell upon the pair, a familiar sharply-dressed delivery boy came with a tray of champagne and two glass flutes.

"Please enjoy, complimentary—"

"Yeah, yeah… I know, Mr. Murray."

The boy only smiled maintaining his professional demeanor and left the two alone to enjoy the beverage. James grabbed the two glasses, handing one to Joie and popped open the champagne bottle. The two relished the relaxing factor that came with the light alcohol.

"So… how's the trip going for you?" Joie asked.

"Uh… I mean, it's pretty good. It's definitely not what I expected it to be,"

"Yeah, me neither…"

She took a sip from her glass.

"You know… Chad and Sophia have been long gone, but I can't help noticing that you've gotten pretty used to my arm being around you like this…"

"I'm sorry! I'll move if—"

"I don't mind as long as you don't mind. I guess… I just wanted to make sure that you're not uncomfortable with… you know, me touching you,"

Joie glanced up at James. They locked eyes and as he tried to turn away, she placed her hand on his jaw begging him not to. Still staring into the sapphire depths of his eyes she reassuringly said,

"I was never uncomfortable with you touching me,"

She quickly took a larger taste of her drink to occupy her mouth after having said those words. James watched the pink arising in her cheeks that he loved so much. He was taken aback by her response, but didn't know what to think of it. He tested his limits.

"Well, in that case, would you like a massage? You _do_ look kind of tense…"

"You are such a playboy, you know that?"

"What? Fine… but, you're going to be missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of you being on the receiving end of one of James Lafferty's amazing massages!"

She was hesitant but then a light bulb went off in her devious little mind.

"Okay, okay…"

Turning so that her back was to him, James was about to begin when he noticed that she was reaching around her back. She began to untie the strings of her bikini around her back! Leaving the ones tied around her neck, she kept the material to her chest, allowing James very little to the imagination.

"Okay, go ahead,"

He had lost all concentration and a very erotic Joie Lenz had appeared in his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah… right,"

Joie smiled, loving the domineering feeling she gave.

He slowly rubbed deep circles into upper back with his thumbs, placing his fingers over her delicate shoulders for leverage. His fingers sought after the tight areas of her back where the muscles had too much tension and rubbed it away. Being so close to her and being able to smell her, feel her, and listen to her moan softly at his strong touch, brought attention to James' lower region. It was like training a puppy.

'Don't do it… don't do it. Stop being a pervert.'

He tried to calm the growing bulge in his swim shorts. She did not make it easy. Getting lost in the feel of his hands, Joie had released the firm hold of her top and her hands had dropped down into the water. Every so often, the movement of his hands on her back caused the top to move up revealing the bottom curve of her full breasts.

'You gotta be fucking kidding me,' he thought painfully.

He couldn't hold back any longer and as he continued to massage her with one hand, the other strayed down to her front, a firm grip on her lower stomach. Joie began to breathe harshly as she felt his hands slide to her front abdomen bringing her in closer to him. She let him have his way as she brought one hand above her head and wrapped it gently around the back of his neck. Now having both of his hands encircling her lower mid-section, he planted a tender kiss on her soft shoulders. It felt like fire as it forced a small moan to escape from her throat. He kissed her on the same spot and then led a trail all the way up her neck.

Suddenly, Joie pulled herself away from his grasp receiving a very disappointed look from a very lustful James.

"James?"

"Yeah," he replied nervously.

"Will… will you… take me to the bedroom?"


	17. Falling Further

To my lovely readers and reviewers, I apologize for the delay in updating. I had writer's block and a busy week. Oh, and I just wanted to warn you guys that this chapter does have some sexual content. Duh! Heehee. **xoxo**

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"_Will… will you… take me to the bedroom?"_

Blinded by their long awaited need for each other, they hurried back to their bedroom to fulfill their lust-driven wants. James held her hand tightly the whole way never letting go once. They ran like teenager lovers who had found a secret place of their own to discover one another, away from the cruel judgment of the world.

As soon as they slipped into the privacy of their room, their heartbeats were racing and they paused to catch their breaths. They sat on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply to calm their nerves. James turned to Joie who was still panting from running. His calloused hand contrasted against the smoothness of her silky soft ones. She shut her eyes as she felt his touch, responding with a slight shiver. She too turned to face her weakness. He leaned in slowly waiting until she reopened her baby browns. When she did, he went in for an affectionate kiss on her pouty lips. He massaged her tongue with his own, gently and smoothly. His movements were languid as he let his hands roam all over her upper back.

Joie's left hand held his face, refusing to let his lips leave hers' while her right one explored every crevice of his built chest. Letting her fingers trace down his six-pack, she fixed her hand on his pelvic bone, rubbing it teasingly with her thumb. James moaned into her mouth as he felt her so close to his manhood. He let his hands drop from her back to her hips and picked up her light body, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist. They stopped kissing momentarily and she gazed at him sexily with her pink swollen lips and a flushed face. He reached around her to untie the strings that held her top on. He removed her bikini top swiftly, tossing it onto the floor.

He lifted her only to place her on her back onto the bed. Letting his eyes catch hers' he looked into them, asking for permission which she granted with a smile. He kissed her passionately on the lips and then brought his interest to her bare chest. Letting his tongue encircle her left nipple, he sucked on it tenderly as she whimpered lovingly underneath his hot breath. With his free hand, he massaged the other, making sure they both received attention from him.

Joie writhed under his weight, attempting to work her lower region against his obvious hard-on. This time, James groaned at the sudden feel of her against him. Reluctantly, he slid back up to meet her face to face and whispered romantically,

"I love the taste of you… I love the touch of you, the smell of you… I love everything about you,"

She stopped. All the erotic juices flowing through her head stopped at an instant at that word—_love_.

Confused by the blank look in her eyes, James waited for her to answer before doing anything else.

Looking at him directly, and refocusing on the situation at hand, she bitterly asked him,

"But… are you in love with me?"

He was afraid. Would she reject him if he told her the truth? Would he still be able to touch her, even look at her if she knew? He looked down at the comforter, seeming fixated on the intricate threading.

"Joie… I—"

"Are you in love with me?" she asked, more demandingly.

"No," he firmly answered.

Stunned by the bluntness of his answer, she remained quiet, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. They both knew that their first sensual experience they were about to share had come to an end.

Just seconds ago, she had willingly flaunted her nude self and now she felt like she had been put on display at a freak show. She brought her hands up awkwardly to hide her naked chest from him, embarrassed as they were brought back to reality.

Seeing how shy she had become, James reached out his hand to her.

"Just don't," she coldly warned him.

His hand slowly retreated back.

How could he tell her? Even if he wanted to admit how she really made him feel, he held back. Joie Lenz scared him to death because he'd never felt such a strong pull towards someone. Even when she had criticized their age differences, he forgave her more quickly than he had wanted to. He had fallen in love, inevitably. He didn't mean to and he wasn't even sure if it was possible but that was all he could say to describe how he felt about her. She could make his blood boil and minutes later have him laughing. She had a control over his emotions and that angered him. If she didn't feel any affection towards him, then he was just asking for more heartache.

Watching James zone out in his own world pissed Joie off. The look on his face was as if he could care less about anything that had just happened! Now she definitely knew that it wasn't worth expressing how much she truly cared about him.

"Well… that's good because I beginning to think that all this 'pretending' was affecting you or something," She huffed somewhat angrily.

"Yeah… this was definitely a _mistake_. It was probably just the champagne since I _am_ underage and all," he fought back.

She scowled at him but quickly changed her facial expression as soon as he looked back up at her. Throwing a plastic smile on her face, she grabbed her bikini top and clutched it to her chest.

"I'm taking a shower. Don't even think about trying to join me," she spat out.

She marched her way to the bathroom as confidently as she could. After turning the shower on to prevent him from being able to hear, she slumped down to the floor as uncontrollable tears began to overflow.

James sat frustrated on the edge of the bed, his hands hiding the defeated look on his face. Not wanting to discomfort Joie when she came out of the bathroom, he decided he should leave the room. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a wife beater. Grabbing his ski jacket, he exited the room in hopes of relaxing and forgetting the evening's awful events. Wandering aimlessly through the lobby of the lodge, he tried not to stare as couples lounged cozily, flirting with one another and making out eagerly. He wanted to punch them all in the face.

As he walked past them angrily, he noticed a fancy gift shop to his right. Since he had nothing better to do, he entered the store. Walking past aisles of candies, sweaters, and crystal figurines, he got bored quickly. Then, his eyes fell upon the wall of cards celebrating everything from birthdays to apology cards.

A light bulb brightened in his head.

Perusing through his choice of apology cards, he picked out a simple one that read in huge black letters, 'I'M WITH STUPID' followed by an arrow underneath. He laughed at the cover and opened it. Inside there was message that said, 'And Stupid says sorry.'

--

For the next couple of days, Joie remained fuming just at the thought of James. In the eyes of their close friends, they were just another couple going through an unavoidable time of disagreement—very typical in relationships. Assuming that things would get better with time, they ignored the situation. So, Sophia was surprised when Joie requested venting time between the ladies.

The girls stood armed and ready with a mountain of pillows, _The Sweetest Thing_, a movie that involved feminine support in a comedic way, and their personal pints of their favorite _Ben & Jerry_ flavors.

"I don't know how you do Chocolate Fudge Brownie. That's like asking for a chocolate overdose,"

Sophia made a face at her friend's choice of dessert.

"What?" Joie asked innocently.

"Come on, when you're in brooding-over-my-boyfriend mode, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is a classic,"

'Well, too bad he's not even my boyfriend!' Joie screamed to herself.

"Yeah, well… you're not even, quote unquote, brooding over your boyfriend," Joie smartly retorted.

Sophia shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, well,"

--

In the boys' bedroom, they were busy, playing their video games. Eventually the pastime was retired due to James' winning streak.

"You suck… really bad," James empathically stated.

"Shut up," Chad replied through gritted teeth.

They sat in silence staring at the fuzzy screen of the television, pondering what else there was to do.

"I'm bored…" Chad whined.

"Me too! I mean, what the hell are we supposed to do while the girls have their slumber party time?—which, by the way, sounds really hot…"

"Yeah… it does sound really hot…"

"But not us thinking about it at the same time, alone in this room!" James yelled.

"Well, anyway… one of those really hot girls is my girlfriend so back off! And… the other really hot girl is your girlfriend… so, I'll back off…" Chad's voice trailed off, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Yeah, right," James mumbled.

"What'd you say?" Chad curiously asked.

"Uh… I said… that… you're right,"

"Yup…"

The room fell in silence again as the boys focused on random inanimate objects in the room.

"So… when are you going to apologize to Joie?"

"Huh?"

James broke his attention from the threading in the carpet.

"When are you going to say 'sorry' so that Sophia and I can enjoy our own slumber party?"

"Sick…"

"Seriously, though,"

"Why should I have to say 'sorry' first?"

Chad started unconsciously rubbing the fuzz on his chin.

"Hmm… well, judging by the duration of time that she hasn't been speaking to you and the fact that you haven't said shit about her… it's your fault,"

"She's brainwashed you!"

James joked, trying to evade his friend's prying questions.

"It's not brainwash, dumb ass. I love Sophia. If you ever _do_ fall in love, you'll understand, kid,"

James turned his face away, hoping that his friend wouldn't see the hurt expression on his face. He prayed that Chad wouldn't be able to notice that James did in fact love her because it didn't matter if he did or not; she didn't, and that was all that he knew.

--

"Ugh… I'm getting cramps from ice cream and laughing so damn hard," Joie groaned.

She grabbed the remote, pausing the movie.

"That's what you get for moping over a boy," Sophia sang out.

"I'm not moping! I'm just pissed…"

"At him? Same thing in my book,"

"Whatever,"

"Well… _whatever_ it is that's pissing you off, if you let the guy put in his two cents, maybe, just maybe, you guys could talk it out. Ignoring him for half the day or if you're really that ambitious, the whole day, is enough. You're about to go on day three here, missy!"

"You don't understand, Sophia…"

The brunette looked softly at her friend. Obviously the hard-ass approach wasn't working.

"I may not understand the entire problem and that's only because you're not giving me a single detail. But I do understand that you guys love each other. I'm not sure how deeply you feel for him and how he feels for you. But, I definitely see puppy love coming not just from the pup, but from you as well, Sunshine,"

For reasons unknown to Sophia, Joie's eyes began to glisten as light tears came streaming down her face. Sophia walked over to her and pulled her into a comforting hug that only a best friend could provide.

--

The foursome agreed that despite the last days' events, they should all do something fun together to take the edge off. Sophia thought that they should try out tubing, even though Chad objected that it wasn't as 'cool' as snowboarding. But she won the argument, mentioning how they could ride together, meaning that James and Joie would have to ride together as well.

"See you down there!"

Sophia screamed as she and her boyfriend went flying down the snowy hill.

Joie smiled, admiring the kid-like demeanor of her friends.

"Joie, right?"

She turned to meet eyes with the boy who was an irony altogether. The smile on her face disappeared.

"What's your name again?" she asked disinterestedly.

"You can call me _Nasty Nate_, if you like,"

"I'll pass… what do you want?"

"Just came by to see what's up. What's shakin' with the bacon? What's cookin', good lookin'?"

"Ew. Nothing. Now, bye,"

"Mmm! I love that feistiness about you!" he exclaimed.

She gawked at him in amazement and shook her head from side to side.

"Let me fill you in on a little secret—I'm not being feisty! I'm trying my best _not_ to be a bitch, so please leave me alone!"

"Don't deny your feelings for me, babe," he stated coolly.

She stood, her feet planted firmly in the ground, trying not to shake from anger. This guy really knew how to push her buttons! So, instead of trying to talk to him nicely, she gave up and punched him in the gut. Nate doubled over in pain, not expecting a hit much less a hit so damn hard.

"Don't call me babe! Stop trying to convince yourself that I like you, at all! The next time you try to verbally molest again, I'll notify your supervisor for sexual harassment."

She had the attention of all the visitors, whose pleasant afternoons had been somewhat interrupted. That included the attention of James. He had been ready to knock that kid over the snowy hill but once again, Joie beat him to the punch, literally.

**Author's note:** Hahahaha… sorry, that was just so corny and I love it!

"Hey, _babe_,"

James was by her side immediately. Knowing the kind of jerk that Nate was, he wasn't willing to takes chances on what that idiot could try to pull with Joie.

"Oh… hey, honey,"

She slightly leaned her back against his chest, playing along.

Nate stared jealously and embarrassed at the couple.

"How come he doesn't get a punch when he calls you babe?"

"Actually… it doesn't _really_ offend me, but you do,"

She gave him an icy look before smiling back up at James. On his face was a stern expression that stopped Nate from saying anymore. He was up and out of there in a flash.


	18. Your Nathan?

As soon as Joie's aggressor had left, she moved quickly away from James. Although it felt nice to lean on him like that she knew it wasn't appropriate after what happened for the past few days. He felt the sudden abandonment of her from his side, but what could he do?

"You know... every time that I try to save you from that jackass, you've already made him cry somehow,"

He forced a smile; an attempt to ease the tension between the two of them.

"Thanks, but, yeah I definitely had him,"

Surprised by her sudden friendliness, he smiled goofily at her remark. She grinned slightly bashfully.

"Well, I'll see you down there,"

With that, Joie was already sliding down the hill, leaving James alone. Even though her leaving him abruptly had disappointed him, he knew she had done it out of awkwardness. He was just glad that she hadn't ripped his head off.

--

The day had been delightfully refreshing thanks to the efforts of Chad and Sophia. The couple planned out a successfully eventful day of tubing in the early afternoon, gourmet meals, and visiting the nearby shopping center built just for the lodge visitors. They were lucky because it was available only during the holiday season. James and Joie were on their best behavior. Not to mention, the serenity and nostalgic environment had lightened Joie's mood altogether.

Sophia and Joie clung closely to each other, treading through the abundance of snow while the boys lagged behind in silence. Joie could see her warm breath visibly as it came out like steam, disappearing into the night. The very tip of her nose was red as were all of her friends. She pointed up at the sky. Sophia's eyes followed her friend's extended finger to see the scattering of stars. Only a sliver was missing from the ripeness of the moon, as its reflection seemed to illuminate the white landscape.

"You guys are gay," James shouted from behind.

"Yeah, Joie... I think you need to take a few steps away from _my_ girlfriend..." Chad added.

Upset that the entrancing moment had been broken, Sophia and Joie frowned angrily while making eye contact with one another. Sophia looked pointedly at the large piles of snow shoveled off to the side and Joie simply smiled in comprehension. The taller of the girls turned on her heel to face James. He flashed her a smirk, knowing all too well that she was one of very few girls who didn't buy it. It didn't hurt to try.

Her voice had that slight signature raspiness as she spoke.

"We were just enjoying the beautiful scenery that _dudes_ like you take for granted. You know, the starry sky, the full moon, and the beautiful whiteness of..."

Just at that moment, Joie seized the opportunity to chuck the most perfect snowball right into James' face. Chad's eyes widened as he looked onto his friend. Before too long, he had a snowball clinging to the front of his jacket as well. The girls laughed hysterically while gathering more snow. The boys gave each other confirming glances with cheeky grins plastered on their faces. It was an all-out snowball war!

Sophia and Joie ran to one side of the road that had been shoveled to hide behind the wall of snow while the guys ran to the opposite side. An outburst of screaming and yelling came from both sides, impeding with the quietness of starlight.

James crouched low to the ground, making his way away from the fight. Peeking over the low wall of snow, he was greeted by the ice-cold powder being smashed into his face.

"Ahhh!" Joie squealed excitedly.

She turned to make a run for it but was hit with a rather large snowball right on her rear. The road was rather slick from ice and snow, causing Joie to lose her footing. James pounced right on her with more snow, dumping it right on top of her head.

"Help! Help!" she screamed.

Sophia heard the struggling cries of her friend and ran off to her assistance clutching a big snowball in her arms. She found James straddling her petite friend and ran to the rescue.

Lifting the heavy snowball as high as she could, she dropped it right onto his head, and followed by pushing him right off of her.

"Joie, get up!"

The feisty brunette lowered her hand to help up her friend. Suddenly, she was blind-sightedly tackled by the strong hold of her boyfriend, Chad, who had tried to make it as gentle as possible. Using her arms as leverage, she had them flipped over, her gloved hands playfully weighed down on his. Chad's blue eyes shined intensely up at her's and as heart warming as he appeared, she picked up a small pile of snow and plopped it on his face.

Joie was exhausted but managed to crawl as far as she could from James but it wasn't far enough. She screamed as he lifted her small frame. Writhing and wriggling, she tried her best to slip away from his firm hold.

"Let go of me, _Laf-**fart**-y_!" she yelled with laugher in between.

He shook his head from side to side.

"Oh, no, no, no... I thought you were better than that, Joie. _Laf-**fart**-y_? I don't think so,"

She froze. Quickly, she locked her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso.

"No! I was just kidding! I didn't mean it! Don't let me go!"

"But, I thought you... didn't you just want me to let you go? Make up your mind, Lenz!" He teased her.

"Let me go, gently! Don't just drop me or else—"

"Or else what? I don't think you're in the authoritative position to threaten me, little girl,"

"Little girl?!"

The two struggled briefly before she fell hard into the thankfully soft snow, still latched onto James.

"Eat snow, Laf-_fart_-y!" She commanded as she pulled his face into the snow.

The antics of the four friends were suddenly interrupted when they heard someone clearing their throat. All four looked up to see what appeared to be one of the lodge employees bundled up in a parka.

"Excuse me! Whereas this type of horseplay is quite acceptable among children, I would like to suggest, ladies and gentlemen, that you proceed inside to your private quarters as not to disturb our other guests."

Sophia burst out laughing but it was muffled immediately as her boyfriend covered her mouth for her. The four stood up quickly and headed to the entrance of the lodge, walking briskly, so that the individual who had broken up their little party wouldn't hear their mocking laughter.

--

Chad and Sophia, whose flirtatious antics had led to much more than antics, outside of the lodge, held each other lovingly before running off to their private room, leaving James and Joie behind. The two were still caught up from the exhaustive play-fight from earlier.

Joie's cheeks and nose were rosy, still warming up to the heater in the bedroom. James couldn't help but notice how cute she looked, breathless and glowing.

"Little girl! You know that I was going easy on you, right?"

Joie rolled her eyes as she slipped off her soaking jacket. She hung it on a coat hanger before retrieving James' coat that had been tossed aside carelessly. He watched her movements. Holding the heavy coat, she walked towards him and shoved it in his face.

"Little boy, you know that I was going easy on you too, right?" She teased with equal sarcasm.

He copied her actions by hanging his onto a coat hanger. He smiled at her boldness, one of her many attributes that he loved so much.

"Mmm... there's that feistiness that _Nasty Nate_ loves so much!"

But before she could even respond he had run to the bathroom, barely escaping an airborne pillow. She heard the shower running so she decided to strip herself of her damp clothing. She wrapped herself up in a bathrobe and tied her wet hair, into a bun atop her head.

Gathering her clothes, she looked around for a plastic bag to pile her dirty laundry in. Looking into the waste basket, she saw that it was already filled. She began sliding open drawers to see if any garment bags had been provided. She gave up and plopped down onto the bed to request several bags from the front desk. As she picked up the receiver, she noticed the two drawers in the nightstand. She opened the top to find it empty. She opened the bottom drawer. Although it didn't have a bag like she had hoped for, it did have a single white envelope. Picking it up, she saw that the front had her name scrawled on it.

Enlightened by her small discovery, she took no time in opening the envelope to reveal a card. The front read in large black letters, 'I'M WITH STUPID' with an arrow pointed underneath. She smiled at the simplistic cover, assuming who had written the card. Opening the card she saw the small message that went along with the cover that stated, 'And Stupid says sorry'. Then her eyes fell on the note that had been handwritten into the card.

_Joie,_

_This card is pretty dumb but I hope you like it, anyway. It is a pretty good description of me._

_I know that for the recently I've been a real jerk to you when I shouldn't be._

_We haven't gotten the chance to really get to know each other as much as I'd like._

_I just don't want this friendship or relationship... whatever it is that we have... to stop._

_I don't want you to hate me or have any hard feelings toward me._

_So, I'm sorry for how I've been acting._

_I love you... as a friend or whatever it may that you want me to be._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Nathan_

--

Chad trudged down the hall towards the vending machine to grab a soda. Room service was becoming quite pricey. To his dismay, he found Nate, Joie's tormentor, flirting dangerously with an older woman. He immediately took in the exquisite ring she wore on her left ring finger.

"Excuse me. Sorry to disturb you two. Just trying to get a coke,"

The woman who had been smiling seductively, eating up Nate's every word, glared at Chad for ruining what she thought of as 'their moment'.

"Call me, darling," she whispered before sauntering away.

"Will do, babe,"

When the lady had finally disappeared around the corner he grimaced at Nate.

"You're sick,"

"Don't be jealous because you're stuck on a romantic getaway with your girlfriend,"

"Haha... that's the whole point of a 'romantic getaway', douche!"

"Whatever you say, man. Shit, if my one of my girls looked anything like that sexy brunette you've been following around, I'd enjoy being stuck with her too,"

Chad had enough. Ignoring the beverage that had just come out of the vending machine, anger blazed furiously in his eyes as he advanced towards the bastard who had talked about Sophia like that. Twisting the front of Nate's shirt, he grabbed him closely to his face.

"You'll die of some STD before you _ever_ get the chance of even looking at anyone remotely close to her!"

Nate's initial reaction had shown fear but he tried his best to maintain cool. Luckily he was saved by Chad's girlfriend.

"Temper, temper, temper..."

Sophia came strolling up to them in a hooded sweatshirt and matching sweat pants, which Chad was thankful for. The last thing he needed was the perverted asshole to be drooling over her. Chad released his grip.

She came right up to Nate's face, squinting her eyes, as if examining him.

"Ew! You're that annoying creepy boy that keeps bothering Joie!"

"You can call me _Nasty Nate_," he said while licking his lips.

Chad was ready to let this kid have it. He just didn't know when to quit. But Sophia gently held her boyfriend back, giving him one of her 'I-can-handle-it' looks.

"Okay, Nasty, let me ask you a question."

"Shoot, babe,"

She cringed at his word usage and they way he eyeballed her.

"You got punched once today, right?"

"Yeah... so, what?"

Without a pause, she landed a punch right to his stomach as if it was a natural reaction. He doubled over, falling to the floor, for the second time that day.

"Oh, well... you're wrong... you got punched twice, sucker!"

--

Joie's face fell in disappointment and disgust. Nathan? At first glance, she could have sworn that this card had come from James. The past few days had been confusing and it sounded like he was apologizing and that he really did have feelings for her. But then why would Nate write all that stuff. It made him seem like a decent human being; kind of. Even so, she was completely grossed out by the fact that _Nasty Nate_ pronounced his love for her. They didn't have a friendship, much less a relationship!

'_Your_ Nathan? Man, does this guy live in La-la land or what? What a dumb shit! What a psycho! Ew!'

She shuddered at the thought of him.

She ripped the card in half, still sickened by it, and tossed it into the waste bin. Suddenly, she wished that James would hurry out of the shower so she could take her turn.


	19. Thinking of the Other

I know it's been a long while since I've updated. I've been taking time on deciding how to carry on the rest of this story. After receiving a pretty intense review, I just want to make sure for the readers that no one really is taking my story offensively or seriously. I don't own any of the characters/actors portrayed in this story since they are all real people. Except for _Nasty Nate_, who I don't claim either because of his name. As for anything related or even similar to the television series, _One Tree Hill_, it's not mine!

Please enjoy this story and always remember that I only write fiction along with everyone else on this website! **xoxo**

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When James had finally finished his shower, he and Joie switched up quickly. Before she shut the door, she half-joking threatened,

"If the hot water is gone, your ass is mine, Lafferty,"

He could only smile dumbly at her threat. As soon as the bathroom door was closed, he crossed his fingers that there would be hot water left. Waiting quietly, he shrugged when there wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction from the other side of the door.

He landed on the bed, and became enveloped by the softness of the comforter. His eyelids became heavy as the thick goose-down blanket seemed to lull him to sleep. Within the next five minutes, he had passed out completely and the only sounds that could be heard were James' soft breathing, the shower running, and Joie humming mindlessly to a familiar song.

"Hey... hey, James,"

Joie gently nudged his shoulder with her hand to wake him. He rubbed his eyes as he arose from his lying position on the bed.

"Huh?"

He stretched out his long and lean arms while he yawned deeply. It felt like he had been asleep forever.

"Wake up, silly,"

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long,"

"Well... can I get back to sleeping some more then?" He asked with that cute smirk.

He lay back down, allowing his head to sink down into a pillow. Joie followed him but decided to roll onto her side, propping her head up with her hand, and facing him.

"Sorry that I woke you up and all..."

"No, it's okay. I'm just tired... it's been a long day. I think that snowball fight actually made me a little sore,"

"Haha... same here."

James adjusted his head so he could meet eyes with her. Her face was glowing and she appeared more attractive than ever. The gold glints shimmered amidst the toasty brown hue of her eyes. Something was different. Her baby browns seemed to trying to tell him something.

"Joie, is there something... wrong?"

"No... not really. Well, kind of..."

"What is it? You can tell me,"

Joie held her breath. Leaning down towards him, she tenderly kissed the top of his forehead. Pulling back away from him he could see that she still had that gleam in her eyes.

"I... I love you, James,"

He lay frozen in astonishment. But he didn't have to move a muscle because Joie decided to curl up against the warmth of his body, comfortably tucking his arm underneath the weight of her head. They fit into each other perfectly, like two long-lost puzzle pieces that had finally found one another. He snuggled her closely, enjoying the moment.

"I love you more," James whispered into her hair.

James jolted awake. His arms were unmistakably empty. It had only been a dream. He checked the bathroom door to see it wide open and completely dark. Ironically, he found Joie to be sound asleep beside him. She was close enough for him to tuck away strands of her hair away from her face. Although she lay right beside him, it was nothing like how he'd dreamt of her in his arms. His eyes flickered back to the wall clock to see that it was nearing 4 o'clock in the morning. He laid back down into the bed into his original position, careful not to stir Joie from her peaceful slumber.

Almost a half hour had passed and he hadn't been able to fall back asleep. James had moved around, trying to get as comfortable as possible, but sleep would not overcome him. He stared jealously at Joie who could seemingly never be disturbed. He smiled to himself as an idea popped up into his head. He slid a little bit closer to her and ever so slowly lifted her head to fit his arm underneath. With his free arm, he placed it protectively on her side, letting his hand extend to her lower back.

Very soon, the calm expression on Joie's face matched his and he had fallen into a deep sleep, knowing that she was there within arms' reach.

--

After the shower, Joie had come out refreshed and feeling the severity of her exhaustion weighing down upon her body. She came out in shorts and a long-sleeve henley. To her surprise, she found James passed out, smack dab in the middle of the bed.

'Well aren't you the generous one, Mr. Lafferty,' she thought sarcastically.

She approached the edge of the bed, sinking her elbows on top to hold her head up as she admired him in his sleep. He looked so serenely innocent as he slept but she knew almost every layer of him underneath; and it gave her a sense of pride. James never seemed to hold back when he was with her. It made her feel special. Of course, it made her love him. It took her a while to say that out loud just to herself, but it was true. She couldn't pin-point what it was that had changed her feelings from harmless interest to want and need and eventually love.

Now, all she could do was wait. She didn't trust her or him enough to be able to admit such deep feelings for him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe, she should wait until they leave this place. As nice as the vacation was for the four of them, it seemed to be an escape from reality. Who knew how he might act once they were back in North Carolina?

As her inner thoughts became negative, she shook them away and refocused her attention on him in front of her. She double checked to see that he was sleeping, waving her hand past his eyes and doing a little dance to see if he would laugh. He was dead asleep.

Joie dropped a feathery kiss atop his forehead and observed his face.

"I... I love you, James," she whispered.

'Ugh... I feel like such a stalker. Gross...' she moaned to herself.

She stared down at the floor with a pouty face then took in the much more appealing king-size bed. She too was beat from such a long and active day so she chose to join James. The bed was large enough for at least four Joie-sized people but probably only two and half of James-sized people. She was able to fit nicely on one side without perturbing him.

--

"Mornin' Sunshine and... Mr. Sunshine?" Sophia greeted her friends after she had pounced on top of them.

Chad smiled as he stood by the edge of the bed. The energy of his lively girlfriend never ceased to amaze him especially because she had woken him up quite similarly.

James continued to feign sleep not only because he wasn't quite willing to let go of Joie but also so that maybe Sophia would give up. Joie was startled by her friend and by the fact that somehow, she'd ended up in his arms. She pulled away rather quickly, embarrassed that he might think she had conveniently placed herself there. With her hair mussed up and eyes half open, she sat upright.

"What time is it?"

"Well, it's actually almost two in the afternoon! But, since you are waking up for the first time today, I decided that technically it was a morning for you guys," Sophia explained.

"Do me a favor?"

"And whatever may that be?"

"Lose the pep... too much pep..." she complained.

Joie collapsed right back into a fetal position a little further away from James this time.

Sophia waved her hand as if dismissing her friend's grumpy attitude and focused attention back on James.

"Your boyfriend sleeps like a damn rock!"

"Typically I do too... unless the Sophia bird interrupts my sleep with her infamous wake-up call," Joie snickered.

"Boo!"

James sudden pulled the covers away from his face scaring everyone but mostly Sophia.

"Ahhh!" she screamed before tumbling onto the carpet.

Chad was immediately at her side, helping his girlfriend up.

"Ho-ly shit! Lafferty!" She growled.

James sat up now with a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"Haha... how long have you been awake?" Joie asked in between giggles.

"Long enough," he answered.

His eyes lingered on her a bit longer than necessary, creating an unsettling tension between them both.

Sophia rolled her eyes at the sight of them.

"You guys are so gross... can you please save the goo-goo eyes for later?" She whined.

She began walking around the room as the two began to climb out of bed.

"Uh... do the Princess and Mr. Princess mind?" Joie asked sarcastically.

"C'mon, let's go, baby," Chad said.

"Wait a second. What the hell is this?"

Sophia had been peering at the contents of the waste basket but now had slipped her hand in to retrieve something quite interesting. She pulled out the two pieces of the card that Joie had ripped in two.

"It's nothing!" Joie exclaimed while advancing towards her friend.

Sophia held the pieces behind her back while examining Joie's face with squinted eyes.

"You are such bullshit!"

Pulling back out the remains of the card from behind her back, she began reading the card out loud to both James' and Joie's dismay.

"Joie, This card is pretty dumb... blah, blah, blah... I just don't want this friend or relationship... to stop. I don't want you to hate me or have any hard feelings toward me. So, I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I love you?! Your Nathan?! Sick! Does that kid ever know when to stop?!"

Joie ripped the cards away from her friend's hands in embarrassment.

"There was a reason it was in the trash, Sophia!"

"Obviously!"

At first, James had been furious to see his card had been pulled out of the trash and to have it read out loud. But he was slightly relieved to find that everyone thought it had been written by that idiot. At the same time, he was disappointed.

"Dude, looks like you've got some _serious_ competition," Chad joked while nudging his friend.

James ignored the comment and watched as Joie tossed the card once again into the trash bin.

"I mean, what kind of loser tries to give you some cheesy card with his two cents on there after the way he treated you?!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Trust me, Princess... I've gotten worse. But this guy just doesn't get the clue..."

She shuddered at the thought of him.

"Seriously though, James, you should keep an eye out for your girl. Last night, he was making out with one of the tourists... she had to be in thirty's and on top of that... she was definitely married."

"Yeah, man... I'm always watching out for my girl..." James replied sullenly.

He hadn't noticed what he'd said because then he would have also seen the look on Joie's face. Her cheeks became rosy and shy smile appeared on her face.

"Anyway, we'll leave you too lovebirds to get ready. Meet us downstairs for brunch... er... maybe, lunner... or... maybe—"

"Let's go, babe," Chad persuasively suggested.

Before Sophia could say another word both James and Joie acted quickly by shouting at once,

"Bye!"

The other couple had disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared in the bedroom. Joie looked over at James with a broad smile.

"What?"

"Nothing,"

"Why are you smiling at me like that, then?"

"Because... I think somebody is jealous!" She jokingly shouted in a sing-song voice.

James reached for a pillow to toss at her but she had beaten him by locking herself into the bathroom. He sighed in disdain and dropped the pillow back onto the bed.

--

As the foursome ate their first meal of the day, the only sound that could be heard was the clinking of their silverware on their plates. The extra hours of sleep had left them famished and talking would only get in the way. Having had his fill, James sat quietly, picking at the remainder of his food like a disgruntled child.

Joie finished, not noticing his grumpiness and relaxed into the back of her seat.

"So... what are we doing today?" she asked to no one in particular.

But, of course, Sophia was quick to answer.

"I found out that starting Thursday, which is today, by the way, and up until Sunday night, around 11pm, they deck this place out like a club. They'll have a DJ, lights, and all that other shit. I mean, who doesn't love dancing? Not to mention, a few cocktails, here and there." She excitedly announced.

"You're lucky, Princess. I'm not a usual club-head but, I'm getting sick of snow. I'm _so_ in," Joie agreed.

"Well, what do you say, gentlemen?" Sophia asked curiously.

"Babe, all a club is a chance for dudes to rub up all over _my_ girlfriend," Chad defended.

"Aw, don't be such a girl, Mr. Princess," Joie teased him.

"Hey! James knows where I'm coming from. Guys go there for one thing which is—"

"Why _you_ go to clubs, Mr. Murray?" Sophia insinuatingly suggested.

"No... you know what I mean, baby!"

"No, actually I don't think I know what you mean..."

James had fallen back into the conversation a few seconds ago.

"What he means is that... now we have a reason to go which is to protect our girlfriends,"

With that, he wrapped his arm affectionately over Joie's frame while glancing down at her with a small smirk.


	20. Club Snowflake

Thanks for all the supportive reviews! I'm so glad you guys are still enjoying this story. To me, I feel like I may be dragging out this plot but as long as it's still entertaining and you guys are still asking for more... then, I'm cool with it! **xoxo**

I forgot to add my disclaimer. I do not own any of the characters, actors, or ideas portrayed in this story that relate to the television series, _One Tree Hill_. Everything written is entirely fictional.

**PS:** What was up with last week's episode!? It threw me off completely! I don't want to comment on anything specifically since some people might not be caught up on that particular episode.

**itzalliballi**, thank you for the correction!

* * *

"Joie?! Are you done yet? Damn it! I have to piss!"

James had been waiting patiently for his roommate to come out. He wasn't surprised that she was taking so long but he'd warned her that he had to use the bathroom 20 minutes prior to.

"Alright, alright! I'm almost done! Just wait a few more seconds!"

She was faithful to her words and appeared shortly after. James was about to rush past but his feet wouldn't budge. He stood frozen seeing the attire that Joie had chosen to wear for that evening.

She sported a dangerously short jean mini-skirt paired with a cream and gold-laced halter top that revealed an ample amount of cleavage. Her make-up was a bit more dramatic than usual, with shimmery gold eye shadow and black eyeliner, smudged to perfection. Her hair was kept full and wavy and pulled elegantly into a high ponytail as stray strands framed her small face. Her skin glowed, obviously having lathered her entire body in a lightly scented lotion.

Her head cocked to one side giving him a knowing look.

"I thought you had to pee?"

After being brought back to reality he shouted indignantly,

"You can't go out like that!"

"What?"

"Look... I have to piss but I'm not done talking to you!"

He stomped into the bathroom leaving her bewildered and confused.

'Definitely thought he was checking me out... what is he, anyway, a fashion coordinator?' she thought angrily.

She sat on the bed, pulling on a pair of creamy beige pumps. All the clothing had been borrowed from Sophia. Joie was a lot more understanding of all the suitcases that her girlfriend had brought now. The girl was prepared for everything and anything!

Hearing the knocking at the front door, she walked eagerly over.

"Hello, lady and gentleman," she greeted her friends.

"Hey, Golden Goddess!"

Sophia squirmed with excitement. Chad followed after his girlfriend with a toothy grin.

"I have to say that... I agree with Sophia... Golden Goddess! But... Sophia is my little red devil!"

And she really was. She'd decided on a ruby red halter-dress that clung very beautifully on her figure. The skirt part of it stopped short, several inches above her knees. She had managed to curl her hair for that night, but kept it down.

"I'd say more like a sexy little Red Riding Hood. Innocent but a total closet freak, even though in her case, she'd be innocent but just a total freak!" Joie exclaimed.

"Ugh... tell me about it! I had to get myself ready, three times in a row!"

The huge smile on Joie's face fell.

"Too much information!" she shrieked.

Chad shyly smiled while his girlfriend bit back laughter. But the two stopped immediately to see that James had come out of the bathroom with the same fervor that he had gone in with, which they had not yet seen.

"Bro, tell Joie that she can't go out like that!"

Chad gave a quick glance at Joie who had an exasperated look on her face back to a pissed off James.

"What are you talking about? She looks great!"

"No shit! I'm sure anything with a dick at the club will agree, also!"

"Aw, James... come on! My girlfriend looks pretty damn hot too but I trust her, man. Not to mention, I fear for the assholes who try anything with her. They haven't gone through shit if they haven't gone through the wrath of Sophia Bush."

Sophia rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's attempt at encouraging words.

"James, as long as you keep your eyes and ears open, you guys will be okay. Of course she looks smokin' hot but... she dressed that way for you. When she told me you guys never went clubbing together, I just had to hook her up! Just enjoy tonight. It's about dancing, a little drinking and just having a fun time. The four of us can stick together so that we can ensure nothing happens to anyone of us, okay?"

James looked at Joie briefly. She swore she had seen a glimpse of hurt in his eyes but brushed it off. He let a loud sigh.

"Fine. If any prick tries anything with her... I'm going to blame you guys just as much as I will me,"

Joie smiled at this public display of protectiveness and hooked arms with her girlfriend.

"Isn't it wonderful how everyone talks about me like I'm not even here?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

No one replied despite her efforts so, she tried again.

"You know... even though that was definitely an argument between James and I... you and Chad fought for me, instead. Haha..."

"It's called _love_, darling... appreciate it!" Sophia graciously explained.

Both having heard her use that word had James and Joie instantly looking at one another. Noticing that they were staring at each other, they turned away quickly and embarrassed.

--

It was half past eleven as the crew had made their way downstairs along with many other guests. Sophia hadn't exaggerated when she had described what the ballroom would become. Several gleaming disco balls hung over certain parts of the dance floor, surrounding the chandelier that sat in the center of the room. An unknown but entertaining DJ stood in a booth on the stage of where Joie had performed her solo act not too long ago. A decorative banner hung on the front of the booth that read, _Club Snowflake_.

Large groups of young and willing teenagers swarmed the masses of 21 and older, sashaying around with cocktails in hand. Eventually, they would be tripping around just trying to keep their drink from spilling, but the party had just started.

The latest hip-hop song blasted from the speakers and those on the dance floor let the bass twist and turn their hips.

Sophia had eagerly headed toward the bar area, followed by her boyfriend and friends. James looked around suspiciously but noticed the number of under-18 clubbers that had managed to sneak in. What he didn't agree with was the huge stamp that glowed under the black light, proving that he was underage for drinking privileges. He had already decided to forego drinking for that night, anyhow, but the last thing he needed was some jerk-off hitting on Joie, thinking less of him just because he was under 21. As his mind wandered, his lips followed the words of the song playing. Joie watched in fascination. His attention diverted from the scenery to the beautiful girl who stared mercilessly.

"What?" he huffed out.

"Oh... uh... nothing,"

She tore her eyes from him.

"You're not drinking?" he asked curiously.

"No... I just wanted to relax and dance a little, you know?"

"Yeah... I guess,"

"See you on the dance floor, Lenz!" Sophia taunted her friends.

"Later, bro," Chad said to James.

The pair kept their eyes on their friends sifting through the crowd. They watched in amusement as Sophia had caught the attention of some pompous but older gentlemen. Considering the threatening body language of Sophia along with the dejected look on his face, he had been utterly shot down. He walked away as his head hung slightly in shame.

"Well, at least we know that she can handle herself," James said while looking on at Joie.

"What? And I can't?"

"Joie, I just hope that no one stomps on you,"

"Are you asking for something? Oh... I don't know... maybe an ass-whooping?" she smartly replied.

Before he could even think of a comeback, she had taken his hand and led them to a more secluded area of the club.

"Ugh, I can't even think with that loud music blaring down my throat. Anyway... I just wanted to say 'thank you',"

James hadn't expected that, at all.

"For what?"

"For giving two shits about me. Apart from the fact that you're pretending to be my caring boyfriend... you really don't have to worry about me..."

"Outside of pretending... you don't mind if I _do_ worry though, will you?"

Joie glanced up at him and into his eyes. The message seeping through the ocean blue of his eyes was unreadable. She gave up, believing that she may be over-reading into things.

"Of course not..." she shyly answered.

He smiled down at her, taking in her innocent behavior although her seductive apparel told another story.

"Come on, dance with me,"

James took her hand and led her back into the sea of people, headed straight for the dance floor. At first he searched for their friends as he peered above the crowd but gave up quickly, refocusing back onto his dance partner. As a new song played, Joie found herself following the beats as she danced. She smiled sexily at James who quickly ensued by letting his masculine hands rest on the curve of her hips. They gyrated together, allowing the music to manipulate how they bodies moved. He became quickly enticed by feeling and observing the movements of Joie.

Sophia had approached them while dancing, interrupting their sensual moment. Joie smiled broadly at the appearance of her friend and the girls started dancing with one another.

"That's what I call hot!" Chad shouted to his friend.

James tried to get the general idea out of his head trying to relieve the sexual tension that had built up in him just from dancing with Joie. But the girls returned to their partners, begging for more dancing and less talking. Joie took her boyfriend by the hands and brought him closer to her. She turned her body as she continued to grind herself against his lower region. James let his inhibitions go, allowing his hands to roam from her hips down to thighs and huskily whispered into her ear,

"You're such a tease, you know that?"

Looking back up at him she replied with a saucy smirk,

"So, I've been told,"

The two danced for several more minutes, absorbing their attention only amongst one another.

"Hey, Princess,"

Joie tried to get her friend's attention. Sophia reluctantly stopped dancing with her boyfriend.

"What's up?"

"I have to go to the bathroom, would you like to join?"

"I'm always in for a girly regroup in the bathroom,"

The girls held hands as they pulled away from their boyfriends and made their way to the restrooms. The two guys followed the girls but stopped to rest at the bar area.

Suddenly, Joie felt tapping on her shoulder.

"Hey, baby, how you doing?"

Sophia made a face before stepping up for her friend.

"You know, _Nasty Nate_... perverted prick... whatever your name is... you have a lot of nerve!"

"Look, sugar, don't be jealous 'cause I have sights set on your friend and not you,"

"Keep dreaming! Just leave my friend alone." Sophia warned.

"I wasn't talking to you," he coolly said.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to talk to you! Stop bothering me! Oh, and that card you sent me... as sentimental as it must have been for you... it just really creeps me out. Didn't you get the hint the 10th time around?"

"And what card is the card that I sent you?"

"Oh, did you by chance forget the one that you sent to me? You're slipping on your game... now, don't confuse me with your 40-year-old fuck buddy, okay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about... the card... or the fuck buddy that you're accusing me of having..."

Sophia rolled her eyes as she continued listening to the conversation.

"You know what I'm talking about... the one you signed as 'Your Nathan'..."

Joie studied his expression but he didn't seem to be bluffing. Instead he stared cluelessly back at her. Then, it dawned on her.

"If you're suggesting that you want me a write you card, babe, then I will," he mustered confusedly.

In anger, Joie dug her heel into toe of his shoe before leaning into his ear,

"I warned you not to call me 'babe', fuckface!"

From the instant pain that rang throughout his body, the boy had pushed Joie away a little too hard. Before she could catch herself, someone else had already done the work for her.

"James," she breathlessly said, seeing that he had been the one to catch her.

"Is there a problem here?"

But he all he found was Nate sprawled out on the floor, clutching his foot and rocking back and forth.

"You beat me to it again, Joie. How am I ever supposed to save you?" He asked smiling at her goofily.

He still held her petite frame as she leaned into him. Her thoughts were elsewhere and suddenly, she found herself speechless and the moment quite awkward. James sensed something was off, judging by the pale expression on Joie's face.

"Joie?"

"Huh?"

She stared blankly at him.

'What do I say? What do I do? Why hasn't he said anything?' she thought.

Before she could reply, her girlfriend suddenly asked,

"I thought you had to pee?"

"Oh... uh... yeah... let's go," she hesitantly answered.

James shrugged his shoulders returning to the bar area where Chad had been.

"Is everything cool, bro?" Chad asked.

"Yeah... once again, Joie got him pretty good,"

"See, I told you. With assholes like that, girls have always got themselves covered. Especially the two girls we know."

"Yep..." He said uneasily.

"Something wrong?"

"Nah, man. Everything's straight."

--

"Something wrong?" Sophia asked her friend warily.

She fixated her attention to Joie, after having finished reapplying her eyeliner.

"Well..."

"Don't you be holding anything back from me after I had your back out there!"

"Technically, James had my back but thanks for looking out for me,"

Sophia smiled contentedly.

"Now tell me, Sunshine, what's bothering you?"


	21. Where to Go From Here

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, actors, or ideas portrayed in this story that relate to the television series, _One Tree Hill_. Everything written is entirely fictional.

Thank you for all you lovely readers and your sweet sweet comments! I particularly enjoyed writing this chapter so, I hope you guys enjoy reading it! **xoxo**

* * *

"Something wrong?" Sophia asked her friend warily.

She turned her attention to Joie, after having finished reapplying her eyeliner.

"Well..."

"Don't you be holding anything back from me after I had your back out there!"

"Technically, James had my back but thanks for looking out for me,"

Sophia smiled contentedly.

"Now tell me, Sunshine, what's bothering you?"

"Well, I kind of... uh... actually have to tell you the truth, first."

"What truth?"

"That... um... well, what happened is..."

"Joie, just spit it out,"

The distressed girl inhaled a deep breath before spewing out,

"James and I really aren't together. I mean, obviously you and Chad were trying to do this matchmaking thing for us, which was really sweet but, we just pretended to get together so that you guys wouldn't bother us about it (as nice as the gesture was). We just didn't want to _really_ work on it. It's been really fucking confusing. At first it was hard because it was as if we hated each other... more so... him hating me. But then I kind of started liking him again... okay... I'm lying..."

The brunette who had at once been confident in providing a ear to hear out her friend's worries was now overwhelmed. She leaned back against the marbled wall trying to process the blur of words that had escaped Joie's lips.

"Whoa... whoa,"

Sophia held her hands up, motioning for her to slow down.

"Just calm down. Take a breather, girl. Now, let me get this straight. You and James aren't together because you guys still hated each other at the time. Now you like him... but, that's a lie too?"

"Well... it's a lie because... because..."

Then, Joie let out a stressed out groan.

"Because?"

"I think... I fell for him. I think... I love him,"

"You think?"

"Huh?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you love him. It just takes an experienced and totally understanding friend... like me!"

Sophia took her friend by the arm reassuringly. Joie sighed.

"So... have you told him, yet?"

"I've thought about telling him... but... well, there's one more thing I have to tell you,"

_"Bethany?" Her mindless wandering was interrupted by a deep, male voice._

_She turned to face James who had approached her from behind. She bravely stuck her hand out while tilting her chin upwards to make eye contact to speak,_

_"Sorry… I was kind of spaced out for a second. Um, you're James, right? Right. Yeah, I'm Bethany, but you can call me Joie. Well, since everyone else calls me Joie. If you didn't know already, I'll be playing '**your' Haley**. I mean, I didn't mean 'your' Haley, but Nathan's Haley. Do you know what I mean?"_

_He looked lost for a few seconds and simply replied,_

_"Yeah… I'm James."_

She recalled the first day that she had met James and acted like a dumb schoolgirl. She laughed to herself at the fact that he had remembered something like that. _Your Nathan_. He was _her_ Nathan.

Sophia rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Why do you choose to make your love life so damn complicated?"

"The card..."

Sophia gasped. It didn't take a genius to figure this one out either.

"It's from _him_," she almost whispered.

She wanted to slap herself in the face recalling how she had totally ridiculed the person who'd written that card.

"Yep," Joie firmly answered.

--

"Whoa... whoa... you wrote that card?!" Chad asked in complete horror.

He thought back to when his girlfriend had found the torn card in the trash and when she had said those really mean comments against it, but in all honesty, believing it had been written by _Nasty Nate_.

James slowly nodded, fixating his eyes on a smudge on the table where they were seated.

"So, she made a mistake. And I want you to know that Sophia only said that stuff... because... well, you know! Everyone thought that loser had given it to Joie. She's just overprotective of your girlfriend, you know? It's the thought that counts..."

James shook his head in disagreement.

"She's not my girlfriend,"

"What the hell are you talking about? Please don't tell me you're breaking up with her because of this..."

"Not exactly... she was never mine to begin with. We've been faking this whole time so you and your 'overprotective' girlfriend would lay off our backs,"

Chad's jaw dropped.

"You're joking with me... but, hey! We were just trying to look out for you two!" he said defensively.

"I know... we know. I didn't mean it like that. It's just... it was kind of like a joke at first. I could tell that she hated me... and I was still mad at her about what happened before. So, we kind of did it to get back at you guys, but all with good intent. I... I didn't think that I would fall for her again. But, I did and this time... I fell pretty damn hard,"

"Does Joie know?"

"One night... I mean, it seemed like everything was real... like she was my girlfriend all over again. It was for real. But then, it was like she shut me out because she realized that it was just me... and that there really is not relationship between us,"

Chad looked at his friends with a sympathetic gaze.

"I know how that feels, trust me, but... I'm asking you if you've actually told her, you know, what you want to say,"

"Well... that's where the card came in the play..."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Come on! Not only did she think that it was from that jackass... making my card look like a stalker's note... but your girlfriend pretty much shot down everything that I wrote on there," James said agitatedly.

Ignoring his friend's obvious annoyance he simply said,

"How long are you going to use that as an excuse _not_ to tell her?"

--

"Joie, I am **so** sorry!" Sophia apologized.

"Oh, Princess, it's not your fault!"

"I totally bashed everything romantic and sweet that James wrote for you!"

"Uh... well at the time, it was definitely creepy and gross because we thought that _Nasty Nate_ wrote it, remember?"

"All too well," Sophia sighed.

"I am pretty damn sure that he's pissed... I ripped the card and tossed it in the trash for God's sakes!"

"True. Very true. But, he loves you. **You love him, he loves you**! What more could a girl ask for?! He's not going to stop loving because you made a totally innocent mistake that I completely vouch for!"

"I don't know... what if it's just the effects of this romantic ski lodge? When we get back to North Carolina... I mean, what's going to happen then? Why hasn't he said anything since we found it in the first place?"

"At least he had the balls to try to say something to you! What if it is the scenery and the seclusion and the intimate interior designing of this lodge?! What are _you_ going to do when we get back to North Carolina?"

"I... I don't—"

"Don't say, 'I don't know'. You need to figure it out! If you haven't noticed... this ain't no soap opera and there is no way in hell it comes even close to _One Tree Hill_. Get your shit together. You either love him or you don't. You're either going to do something about it or you won't,"

The passionate Sophia stopped to catch her breath but wasn't done quite yet.

"Nothing comes magically together. I do believe in fate and destiny and all that _Peter Pan_ shit but... you've got to put yourself in his shoes just as much as he's got to put himself in yours. It took a lot of courage and a nice, thick slice of his ego to write you that card. In his defense, we made his card look like doggie doo-doo, which it wasn't! What I'm saying is... although he could've said something earlier, the bottom line is, he did it and you haven't! He didn't wait for some sign of encouragement or pixie dust to say that to you. If you love him, tell him, tell the whole world, but most of all, tell yourself every second, every minute that passes because that fear you have right there..."

She poked gently a little to the left of Joie's chest.

"... will be enveloped by the very love that sits right next to it,"

Suddenly a very intoxicated girl staggered out of one of the bathroom stalls. Her platinum blonde hair was a messy pile upon her head and her mascara had run down the apple of her cheeks. She came out clutching the door of the stall for dear life as she cried in heavy, hoarse breaths.

"That... was... so... beautiful!!!" the stranger sobbed.

Sophia calmed down only because she had to try so hard to hold back laughter. At the same time, she was a bit freaked out as she ripped tissues out of the tissue box, off the counter, and handed them to the drunk and obviously upset girl. She mouthed silently to Joie, "Let's go!"

As painfully honest as her friend was to her, Joie understood that fleeting moment of tough love. She had made up her mind.

--

"Hey, I'm not trying to excuse anything!"

"Just don't get so wound up about it,"

"Why shouldn't I be? I'm pretty damn sure that I have the right to be! I don't even know if she likes me, much less love me! And let me jog your memory; when I wasn't in love with her, she managed to hurt me, anyhow,"

Chad really didn't know what to say to that. He knew that his involvement hadn't helped during that situation. He blamed that whole thing on himself, in fact.

James took in the hurt look on his friend's face.

"It's not your fault. It just happens and... it wasn't meant to be... so, it wasn't," James added comfortingly.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened in the past," Chad began apologetically.

"Yeah, but past is past. I'm over it... and if you're not, then, all I can say is... get a life," he chuckled out his last words.

"Whatever... how about you take your own advice... except... you need get a life... with Joie!"

James scoffed, left speechless by his friend's joke.

"So, what smack are you talking now, Mr. Princess?"

Joie came up beside him, ruffling his blonde hair messily. She was oblivious to the nervous expression on both of the boys' faces because she was dwelling far too deeply in her own thoughts. James glared at Chad who shifted very uncomfortably due to the sudden presence of the girls.

"It's... uh... about time you brought back my baby! But seriously, will you stop with the Mr. Princess?" He asked pleadingly.

"Yeah, Joie, I don't appreciate the degrading nickname, although..."

Sophia turned quickly to her boyfriend, eyeing him sharply and continued,

"... there is absolutely, nothing wrong with being the Mister to _this_ Princess,"

The four laughed for a bit, easing the tension between all four friends. The girls were sure that the guys knew what they had been talking about and vice versa.

After having one more round of cocktails for the ladies, they watched as sweaty and disheveled looking people shuffled by.

"This scene is getting old, fast," Sophia dryly stated, feigning a yawn.

"I think I'm getting old. I don't know why I never really got into the whole clubbing thing," Joie commented.

"How about we go?" Chad asked.

James agreed and the foursome gathered their belongings, paid their tips, and left. As they tried to squeeze their way towards the exit, Chad and Sophia had disappeared on them.

"Well, we know _who_ was horny," Joie mindlessly mentioned as she and James made it the lobby.

She noticed her slip-up and scolded herself for saying something so crude. James had already noticed the blood rushing to her cheeks but couldn't tell if it was from the heat of the club and the few drinks she'd had or from her cute comment.

"Don't be jealous, Joie," He teased with his casual smirk.

She stuck her tongue out at him with a flirtatious glint in her eyes.

As the two entered the elevator, he motioned for her to enter first. Once the doors were shut, they stood a good two feet apart from one another. The only sounds that could be heard were the occasional movement of her heels clicking on the marble floor and bell dinging as they ascended slowly. As the elevator reached their floor, the doors opened and automatically, Joie began to exit. Just as her first foot touched the carpeting of the hallway, she stopped. She felt a warm tugging on her hands and looked to find James holding her with a look of purpose settled deep in his sapphire eyes. Those butterflies that everyone talks about so much fluttered furiously from the pit of her stomach all the way up to her throat that only a small gasp fell from her lips.

After what seemed like an eternity, James finally spoke.

"I need to tell you something,"


	22. We Belong Together

I know I haven't updated in a long time and when I'm so close to the ending of this story. I hope I can make up for it with a nice, tasty, and hopefully fulfilling chapter! I do not claim anything remotely related to the television series, _One Tree Hill_. This story is complete fiction. I guess I tried to do one of those song fics... I don't know what you call them. But, the lyrics come from the song "We Belong Together", performed by Gavin DeGraw. Enjoy! **xoxo**

* * *

_We belong together_

_Like the open seas and shores_

_Wedded by the planet force_

_We've all been spoken for_

The urgency in James' voice rang clear. His tone was forceful, and yet, it oddly eased the tension in Joie's entire body. She followed him submissively, as he led them back to their room. Not once, did he loosen his hand from hers.

After he had shut the door behind them, she waited patiently. She waited patiently for him to sweep her off of her feet and smother her with hot and heavy kisses. Imagining the softness of his lips tasting her own caused goose bumps to rise on her arms. To her disappointment, he remained posted against the front door, appearing to contemplate whatever _proposal_ he had for her.

James noticed her staring with anticipation, rubbing her arms with fervor. Humored by her actions, he smiled to himself.

She narrowed her eyes at him, taking in the bemusing smile on his face. And yet, it still sent shivers down her spine. He approached her carefully, as she remained planted on the edge of the bed—halfway on and halfway off. She forced herself to focus on her lips from twitching, not realizing that she had already given away her obvious unease.

'Why is he so damn good at making me nervous?' she thought with irritation.

But she did her best to give him her calmest grin and gestured for him to sit beside her. He obliged with one of his tantalizing **true blue** smiles, as he let out a small puff of air. She assumed he was only breathing when in actuality he had just lost five pounds in anxiousness alone. Or so he believed.

"I'm kind of excited that this trip will be over soon, to be completely honest with you."

Boy, did he know how to break the ice; with a sledge hammer.

She wasn't exactly sure how to perceive the news.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… I mean, it's been fun and all. Chad and Sophia, they really pulled something off. It's just that… it really hasn't been easy,"

"Wh… why's that?" She asked dumbly.

He paused for a moment, collecting and rearranging his words warily. With one look at her, though, he decided against it. It was time for the truth to come out.

"You know and I know that we both haven't had the easiest of times since we've been here," he answered with brutal honesty.

"Well… yeah, I know…" she admitted.

"I can never tell if we've made some sort of truce or not," he said.

"To be more logical, it all really depends on you. I was the jerk in the relationship, not you," Joie regretfully reminded him.

Noting the remorse settled deep in her voice, he placed his hands on her shoulder, comfortingly.

"But… uh… you're a girl,"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"That means you are forgiven, by default," he answered, quite smitten with his own answer.

Joie couldn't help but to giggle at his silly comment.

But the look on his face was completely serious and the tone in his voice changed as his continued.

"I couldn't stay mad at you for any longer than I did. I was angry at myself and I was pretty sure that… that if I messed up with you… then, I wasn't worth your time,"

She stared at him with disbelief.

"James…"

"Just… hear me out, okay?"

She complied, simply by the soothing feel of his palm massaging her shoulder. She ached for his touch as soon as his hand slipped away.

"I, I know that… well, that I still have a lot of growing up to do. We can't deny that we both do. We've got a lifetime ahead of us both. I was determined on getting my acting career started; like _really_ started. Maybe, I'd go to school in between. Do a little bit of this, experience a little bit of that, and just live the life of a 20-year-old,"

His last few words lingered in the air. Joie was not sure what point he was trying to make but, she kept her lips shut, awaiting his finishing argument.

His eyes lowered to the floor before he huskily finished,

"Then… then, there was you,"

_The hammer may strike, be dead on the ground_

_A net to my hand, a cross on his crown_

_We're done if, who we're undone_

_Finished if who we are incomplete_

_As one we are everything_

_We are everything we need_

Whatever reaction that Joie's brain was having, at that moment in time, she would never be able to compile into a sentence, much less, words.

"Not to sound like Mr. Obvious, but um, I've never been in a relationship like this before. It wasn't in any of my plans. Do you know what I mean? I never met someone who could imbalance everything in my life," He said this as if he was just discovering this, himself.

Joie tightly nodded her head, unsure of how to retort. She had to admit, he was quite good at helping her break her babbling habit.

Detecting the somewhat offended look on her face, James quickly corrected himself.

"I mean, imbalance, as in a _good_ imbalance. Yeah, um, I know that doesn't make any sense, but, okay…"

He stopped once again to calm his nerves. After a few fleeting seconds, his heart seemed to spill out of his mouth.

"Joie, you have this strength that I can't really describe. You have this ability to influence every aspect of my life. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've tried to come up with excuses and have tried to convince myself that it's only a crush. Only, it's not. When… when, I was mad at you, I knew I was being an asshole. I thought… actually, I hoped that you'd retaliate with the same attitude that I had. Subconsciously, I knew then and I still know now that, your heart is so much bigger than mine and capable of so much more sympathy and love. You don't know… you just don't know what that does to me… or what you do to me…"

_We belong together_

_Like the open seas and shores_

_Wedded by the planet force_

_We've all been spoken for_

By this time, James' glossy eyes met directly with hers. He tried to laugh as a small tear escaped his eyes, which he roughly wiped away.

Without skipping a beat, he continued speaking,

"This weekend may have been difficult, but it was well worth it. Being so near you, all the time, made me miss you even more. I worry about you even when everything is totally fine. It seems like every time I try to step up to that _Nasty_ guy, you've always got yourself covered,"

Joie laughed at the remark about Nasty Nate.

"I think anyone can stand up to that guy. He's just a creep. I saw him schmoozing up some married lady, anyway. I don't ever take it personally."

As she talked about her annoying stalker, she recalled James' card that she had mistaken for Nate's. But her thoughts were interrupted.

"I don't really think I have the right to defend you anymore, anyway. I respect you as a woman but, I can't help but want to be there for you, constantly. You've changed me for the better and I want to thank you for that. You not only accomplished having me fall for you, Joie Lenz, but you've become such an influential person in my life,"

Tears formed in the inner corner of Joie's eyes that she begged would not fall.

James saw the discomfort in her features and asked,

"Are you okay?"

'Good job, Lenz,' she thought with a bit of aggravation towards herself.

"Yeah… yes, I'm fine. You know, I just… hate crying… ugh,"

She reached towards her face when James stopped her with a gentle touch.

"I love it when you cry," he supportively stated.

While sniffling, she cocked her head to the side, giving him a questioning look.

He continued, explaining himself.

"I love it when you cry, when you laugh, when you smile, when you pout, when you give me that oh-I-don't-think-so-look, when you… just look at me. I love you, Joie,"

She silently gasped.

"And that's why I want us to be friends,"

_What good is a life, with no one to share_

_The light of the moon, the honor of a swear_

_We can try to live the way in which we speak_

_Taste the milk of your mother earth's love_

_Spread the word of consciousness, you see_

_We are everything we need._

Joie's eyes searched his face for a hint of what may have been a mean joke.

"Friends?" She asked with a baffled tone evident in her voice.

James nodded with an overwhelming amount of seriousness, causing her insides to start churning.

'Even breathing, Joie. Even breathing,' she said to herself.

"I'm not sure I understand," she tried once more.

"I couldn't stand the thought of you losing you again. I'll love you, from a distance. There's always the possibility that we could hurt each other again. But the next time it happened, it could be permanent that we're out of each others' lives. It's hard, I know. But, it's harder trying to manage a one-sided relationship, you know? It is okay if we stay friends, right?"

What had happened? Just a few minutes ago, he had seemingly laid his heart out on the table. But had his emotions evolved into nothing more than _friendship_? Had James moved on when Joie fully knew that she hadn't?

"Um… yeah, I guess,"

"Okay, that's—"

"Actually, no. I don't think I can be friends with you, James," she stammered.

"Huh?"

"Not that you're not a good friend, but, um, I just can't handle being friends with you,"

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm joking? You're hilarious, James, because _you_ have got the one joking, right now," she spoke indignantly.

"Joie—"

"You've talked enough, tonight. It's my turn now. How are you going to feed me complete bullshit, admit that it is bullshit, and then try to pull the whole 'let's be friends' bit? You're full of it! Stop playing games and stop pretending. I don't even know the difference between your truths and your lies!"

"Joie, hey—"

His attempts at calming her down were futile for she grew more and more infuriated by the minute.

"When you're acting as if you do want to be more than friends, you say something completely different. And if you say that you want to be more than friends, you act the exact opposite. Ugh… what I'm trying to say is that you never say what you mean! I'm fed up with it!"

She stomped over to the nightstand where she had hidden the torn pieces of the card and held them up to his face. His jaw dropped slightly and a deep sigh escaped his mouth.

_We belong together_

_Like the open seas and shores_

_Wedded by the planet force_

_We have all spoken for_

"Just like when you wrote me that card! I'm sorry that I mistook it for Nate's but at the same time, you weren't even honest with me! You just pretended like it never existed. If someone that I hardly knew, had written what was in this card, then how would you expect me to react? But, see, the thing is… you did. You're the one that wrote this card. And what? Did you just decide that you were going to chicken out? Oh, wait, did you decide that you had changed your mind? Huh? See, the difference between you and me is that you can say, 'I love you' and take it back just like that,"

Tears were flowing uncontrollably down Joie's face. The image of the tear-stained stranger in the bathroom appeared in her mind. She prayed silently for that stranger, hoping she had not had to endure the same hurt that Joie felt right then and there.

"But, I… I can't. I can't say, 'I love you' and take it back. So tell me, what am I supposed to do? What do I do, now that you know that I love—"

Her words, blended with passion and anguish, were consumed by James' lips. At first, he pressed his mouth firmly against hers, afraid that she might try to pull away from him. Instead, she seemed to melt into him, granting him access. His hands slinked around her waist, holding her closer than he ever had. He blinked his eyes open to catch a glimpse of her face, flushed with warmth. He suckled on her lower lip, causing it to plump and redden ever so slightly. She returned the favor by softly running the tip of her tongue over his upper lip, which James replied to with a low moan. Lost in each other and their own senses, they weren't exactly sure how they had ended laying in the bed together. James leaned over Joie, using his arms to hold himself up.

Gazing intently into her baby brown eyes, he nearly whispered,

"I was wondering when you'd come around,"

James laughed when her eyes widened in response.

"What?! Wait… huh? Wait a minute. That whole thing… that was… wait, what?!" Joie huffed in confusion.

He shushed her by planting a soft kiss onto her rose-colored lips.

Showing off that devilish smirk, he then added,

"Now what was it that you were saying before?"

_All this indecision_

_All this independent strength_

_Still we've got our hearts on safe_

_We've got our hearts on safe_

_Someday when you're lonely_

_Sometime after all this bliss_

_Somewhere lost in emptiness_

_I hope you find this gift_

_I hope you find this gift_

_I hope you find this gif_


End file.
